New Parkway plan a strategic political move
A20-page report that urges city council to take another shot at kickstarting the controversial Parkway contains plenty of facts and figures but also a strong suggestion that politics, not science or good policy, derailed the project.
City council will consider the report Monday night. It recommends asking Premier Kathleen Wynne to set aside an order by the Minister of Environment for more study and allow the north and south ends of the Parkway to proceed.
The most controversial section of the north-south corridor, a planned bridge over Jackson Park, would remain in limbo.
It has been more than three years since 86 local organizations and citizens each filed appeals to the Ministry of Environment. The general thrust was that environmental reviews and public consultation had been inadequate and more work was needed.
Last September, former Minister Glen Murray ruled in their favour and ordered a more detailed environmental assessment.
This new report to council covers most of the ground the city has worked in its most recent push for the Parkway: delays will stall new development, add to future costs and worsen existing traffic and safety problems.
The new twist is that the city now believes Minister Murray ignored Ministry of Natural Resources staff who said the city’s earlier environment assessment work was acceptable.
The report refers to interviews with MNR staff and documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests to back its claim that ministry staff had no serious problems with the city’s environmental assessment.
It also says the Ministry of the Environment refused to supply similar background documents and has not complied with a order by the Information and Privacy Commissioner to release the material.
What the city did see did not show the MOE experts “provided the Minister with the reasons he cited in the Order,” according to the city staff report.
The clear implication is that Minister Murray was pandering to anti-Parkway sentiment, which has been broad and well organized.
Now that minister is gone. Murray resigned in July and was replaced by MPP Chris Ballard. That was likely just good but coincidental timing for the city’s efforts. The staff report suggests that because the minister is so new to the job council can bypass him and appeal directly to Premier Wynne.
The No side in the Parkway debate will have a different view of all of this. They should ask to see, any be provided, the documents obtained in Freedom of Information orders so they can do their own assessment.
Other questions remain, particularly with the idea of starting two ends of The Parkway before the middle is settled. For now, though, all eyes will be on Premier Wynne.