March 2, 2016
Hon. Steven Del Duca, MPP Vaughan
Minister of Transportation
Dear Minister,
The Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods (FUN) Ontario welcomes your announcement https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2015/12/ontario-to-review-greater-toronto-area-west- corridor-project.html that the Ministry has suspended its work on the environmental assessment of the Greater Toronto Area West Highway Corridor (GTA West). Your announcement goes on to say that this project will be reviewed again this spring.
FUN would like to take this opportunity to state our unequivocal opposition to this proposal. In light of the substantial new public investment in infrastructure likely to occur in this province following last month’s provincial budget and the coming federal budget announcement on March 22, 2016, the GTA West proposal is an unnecessary and wasteful burden for Ontario taxpayers.
The project would, if approved, represent the start of what is in essence a whole new 400 series highway system north of Toronto. This highway would encourage and facilitate an unprecedented level of urban sprawl in the GTA, and would be at cross purposes to the government’s commitment to the Greenbelt and its much needed expansion.
As such we would urge that the project be ABANDONED as a result of the review. We would also appreciate being kept informed of the results of the review and would be pleased to participate in any discussion arising.
Yours faithfully,
Archie Campbell
c.c.
Premier Kathleen Wynne, MPP
Hon. Glen R. Murray, MPP, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
Hon. Ted McMeekin, MPP, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Hon. Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs