No rush on Parkway EA

Mayor says new assessment unlikely until after 2018 provincial election

Mayor Daryl Bennett says the city is unlikely to start working on a more detailed environmental assessment of The Parkway anytime soon – certainly not before the next provincial election, anyway.

In a letter written Friday to Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Chris Ballard, Bennett writes that he doubts council will follow through with a new EA in 2018.

“I can presume that city council will wait to see the outcome of the looming provincial election before determining how best to proceed,” he writes.

The next provincial election is in June 2018.

About 70 years ago, the city set aside a road allowance to build a Parkway from north to south across the city.

But it was never built, and now it’s a recreational trail. Although some citizens have asked council to extend the road as a way to alleviate traffic congestion, others don’t want the green corridor paved over.

When council voted in 2013 to finally complete the road, many citizens were upset. A total of 88 citizen appeals were sent to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, asking for a moredetailed EA before construction can happen.

In September 2016, the Ministry issued an order for a new EA before The Parkway can be extended across the city.

Premier Kathleen Wynne visited Peterborough this past summer and Bennett met with her privately to talk about municipal affairs.

He said he discussed The Parkway with her, and that she suggested he come to Queen’s Park to speak with her and Ballard further about it.

Earlier this fall, Bennett proposed that he go to Queen’s Park to ask Wynne and Ballard whether the city could bypass the order for a new EA and start building the north and south portions of the road.

At that time, Bennett also suggested council remove the most controversial part of the plan: a bridge taking the Parkway over Jackson Park.

Council agreed to remove the bridge from the plan.

Council also voted 6-5 to send Bennett on that mission to Queen’s Park, where he would advocate to start extending portions of the Parkway – without a bridge.

On Oct. 30, Bennett and some city staff members met with Ballard but not Wynne (it’s still unclear whether the Premier will meet soon with the Mayor.)

Ballard was clear: he said the city certainly cannot circumvent the order for a new EA.

On Nov. 2, Bennett wrote a letter to Ballard to thank him for the meeting on Oct. 30.

In that letter, the mayor writes that he’s glad the ministry is willing to let the city develop “scoped terms of reference” for environmental assessments of the north and south portions of the road.

But Ballard writes back on Nov. 22 to say that the city is expected to do a full environmental assessment – the order from Sept. 2016 sticks, in other words.

He also writes that his ministry continues to receive letters from concerned citizens who don’t want The Parkway paved over.

“We take public concerns very seriously and we believe an individual environmental assessment will determine how this project should best proceed,” Ballard wrote.

The letter also says Ballard’s staff has offered several times to meet with city staff to explain what’s expected, in the new EA – and that an EA would take no more than six to eight months to complete.

But then Bennett writes back on Nov. 24 to say the city doesn’t want to waste any more tax money or time on a new EA.

“City council attempted to respond to the Minister’s direction by offering to remove the bridge from The Parkway proposal if the Minister would allow the city to proceed with the north and south sections of the two-lane road, saving taxpayers’ money by avoiding more studies and consultants on yet more EA requirements,” Bennett writes.

Then he signs off: “Thank you for listening.”