By Staff
March10th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
When Metrolinx advised the Town of Oakville and the city of Burlington that they would not be able to proceed with the planned construction of grade separations – they surely didn’t think that was going to be the end of it.
Burlington ward 5 Councillor took the lead on this and, working with Oakville council member issued a statement making it clear that a delay was not on for their communities.
The Town of Oakville and City of Burlington received updates from Metrolinx (the Province’s Agency for coordinating and integration transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area) on the Burloak and Kerr Street Grade Separations.
Life today at the Burloak crossing.
This was the promise – when the price ballooned Metrolinx wanted to back out. The local municipal Councillors aren’t on for that decision.
Metrolinx indicated it could no longer meet its commitment to the costs agreed to by all parties involved for both the Burloak and Kerr Separations and that the Kerr Street underpass would be deferred with no future timeline. ” These changes to our agreements with the Provincial agency are unacceptable to us.”
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman – isn’t prepared to accept the Metrolinx decision.
Grade separations not only ease congestion, they are pivotal to the health and safety of our community for vehicles and pedestrians and ensure rail transportation moves unimpeded across the Lakeshore West Line. As representatives in areas directly impacted by these railway crossings, we hear daily about delays, safety issues and concerns from our residents. We are determined to ensure the Province and Metrolinx fulfill their commitments to the residents in our neighbourhoods and the Halton community at large.
The Metrolinx LAkeshore West line is schedule to offer 15 minute service – vehicles will never get to cross the tracks under those conditions.
“We are calling on all Halton MPPs to work to ensure the government’s commitments to the construction of both grade separations move forward and that they do so immediately and at the costs agreed to with the Municipalities in 2018. Now is not the time to put critical infrastructure on the back burner. With the Province mandating growth throughout our communities, we in good conscious cannot continue to fulfill the Province’s demands of added population without safety being put firs.” said Sharman
“Movement throughout our Region relies on critically integrated corridors and the infrastructure to move those vehicles, pedestrians and transit safely and quickly. This is more than a step backwards; the Government has slammed the car in reverse. We are calling on all residents who have a stake in this infrastructure getting built to contact your MPP and let them know that these delays, deferrals and cost overruns are unacceptable.”
Provincial members:
Stephen Crawford (Oakville) – stephen.crawford@pc.ola.org
Parm Gill (Milton) – parm.gill@pc.ola.org
Jane McKenna (Burlington) – jane.mckenna@pc.ola.org
Effie Triantafilopoulos (Oakville North-Burlington) – effie.triantafilopoulos@pc.ola.org
Signed:
Sean O’Meara Beth Robertson
Regional & Town Councillor Ward 1 Town Councillor Ward 1
Cathy Duddeck Ray Chisholm
Regional & Town Councillor Ward 2 Town Councillor Ward 2
Paul Sharman
City of Burlington Council Ward 5
There is an interesting omission: Burlington’s Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is not a signatore to the statement. She was all over television reports in the decision
The costs for this under pass should be borne through development fees collected from developers involved with building those abominations around the GO Stations, the so-called mobility hubs
One thing I am really glad to see is City and Regional Councilors calling the Province, Metrolinx, out on this yet another failed commitment, led by Ford’s kick start election campaign with an $85 billion package of taxpayers money. He just can’t let this safety failure get in the way of his big announcement for the election.
He is also in an election hurry to ditch the Covid mandates for masks and other things right after the school break just when everyone will be back from trips near and far mingling freely. He basically lies when he says this is safety okayed by his medical experts, but the only one who is allowed to speak is the Chief Doctor Kieran Moore, who Ford refers to as a “practical” person. No other staff member speaks.
Many other medical experts have contrary views and have expressed them. The president of Hamilton Health Care, Rob McIsaac spoke out to the Spec, saying this is too much too soon, and the timing is rotten, and likely to spur another surge into May. The public health system he is responsible for is taxed to the max, and not ready. School Boards are similarly concerned, asking Ford to delay this, and some are going to keep mask and other mandates in place on their own, with a justifiable rebuke of Ford.
Ford has consistently showed he wants mandates ended for business, and he seems to be basing his medical reasoning on one man talking, a science manager bureaucrat, who in the end, like all such management ‘crats, does as they are told.
The timing is plainly and crazily reckless. It needs to be changed to later at the least to see what comes back with the vacationing adults and kids in the lines of Covid.
Of course the Province is changing how and what they measure about Covid, so watch for more lies.
Also reflects the unfortunate fact that all the MPPs needed for support are part of Doug Ford’s team of trained seals, who I guess have been told to focus on the useless new highway through the green belt. Another reason for voters to carefully consider what they will do when the election comes and beware of election promises or lack of same.
I suspect that there is a bigger story here!
I have contacted Metrolinx to seek clarification as to the status of the electrification of the Lakeshore West Line. Grade separations at Burloak and Kerr St. level crossings were a prerequisite to electrification of the line.
I encourage all who rely on the Lakeshore West line do the same.
This is awful.Once GO trains will run every 15 minutes it will be impossible to cross the tracks safely especially on the very busy Burloak crossing. It is sad that Metrolinx sat on their hands all these years until the construction costs exploded. Now with the GO schedule frequencies of evey 15 minutes. That means the possibility of trains every 7 or 8 minutes of train crossings. I guess they’ll maybe wait until there are several deaths at these busy level crossings! Shame on you Metrolinx!!