[getsmart-l] Halt new highways, activists demand - Watchdog's position on Greenbelt expansion also bothers sprawl foes

[John O'Gorman]

http://www.thestar.com/article/282622

Halt new highways, activists demand

Watchdog's position on Greenbelt expansion also bothers sprawl foes

Dec 05, 2007 04:30 AM Toronto Star
Peter Gorrie ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

Environmental Commissioner Gordon Miller delighted greens yesterday by calling for measures to curb urban sprawl in southern Ontario and protect the boreal forest in the far north.

But many advocates were disappointed the tough language in Miller's annual report, Reconciling Our Priorities,  http://www.eco.on.ca/english/newsrel/2007/Annual_report-0607-FINAL-EN.pdf   wasn't backed by strong recommendations in at least two key areas:

The commissioner warned that the province's "car culture" and highway expansions are fuelling congestion, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and sprawl, and said a growth strategy for southern Ontario should "avert any further plans for new highways and/or highway expansion projects." 

But he said every expressway already proposed, including several through the Greenbelt, should go ahead. "They are all too far down the pipe to be stopped," Miller told a Queen's Park news conference.

He also rejected expanding the 720,000-hectare Greenbelt into Simcoe County, where developers are assembling large tracts of land for subdivisions as well as business and retail centres, with projected populations far beyond what the growth plan would allow. 

Development would still leapfrog the protected area, no matter how far it's extended, Miller said: The solution is better planning everywhere.

David Donnelly, a lawyer with Environmental Defence, disagreed: "If you don't grow the Greenbelt into Simcoe County, (the county) will end up looking like Mississauga."

Miller's response on highways was disappointing, said Janet May of the Ontario Smart Growth Network. "If the province is truly serious about protecting our rapidly dwindling agricultural lands and green space ... spending scarce public money on highways to sprawl will stop immediately."

"I disagree they're too far along," said Natalie Helferty of Ontario Nature.

"There's still time to stop them if there's political will," said NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns. "Miller makes excellent arguments about sprawl. If you do curb it, you don't need all the highways."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said preliminary construction has begun on the northern extension of Highway 404 to Ravenshoe Rd. Some contracts have been awarded.

The other projects – extending Highway 427 beyond Highway 7; taking Highway 407 east to highways 135/115; the corridor from Niagara to the GTA; and the GTA West route, roughly from Guelph to the 400, possibly through the Greenbelt – are at various planning stages. The first two have minimal contract obligations; the others, none, the spokesperson said.

In general, Miller said yesterday, some of the growth plan "calls for development that would exceed the ability of the local environment to support it. ... We are trying to have our cake and eat it, too." 

Premier Dalton McGuinty welcomed Miller's report and said the province would look at it closely.

http://water.ca/listenaod.asp?artid=292

Special Feature - Ontario Environment Commissioner - 12/4/2007

Ontario Environment Commissioner Gord Miller talks to us about his annual report - Reconciling Our Priorities. -
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