Local Resident speaks out about highway 4.3

Below are exerpts from a letter send from local Halton Hills resident Peter Belshaw Ph. D. Chemistry/Biochemistry. The letter was sent to the GTA West Consultant Project Manager Neil Ahmed project_team@gta-west.com with a copy to the Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.

Building this highway extension through rural farmland and residential areas will have an enormous impact on the environment, far greater than what is claimed in the phase 1 environmental assessment. The proposed route of the highway will divide south Halton Hills creating a new southern boundary for the town, in the years to come, it is likely that every inch of land between the 401 and the proposed 4-3 extension will be developed commercial/industrial as a result of this new highway. In addition a band of commercial/industrial development would also occur to the immediate north of the 4-3 extension. The net result would be that all the farmland in rural Halton Hills would eventually be developed/paved. The environmental assessment in the draft report only appears to consider the direct impacts of the 4 lanes initially proposed, not the future development of the highway, nor the commercial/industrial development that is likely to follow. The increased vehicular traffic and future commercial/industrial development will also result in a significant lowering of air quality and an increase in noise pollution in the region. The proposed 4-3 extension would also result in the loss of some of the best farmland in Canada. Given that only 8% of Canada’s land is tillable (source: former MP Julian Reed of Halton Hills, citizens meeting open comment June 23rd, 2011 Glen Cairn Golf Course), we should not be paving/developing our best farmland. Given global warming and peak oil, we will need these resources when a few million climate refugees arrive on our doorstep in the foreseeable future (just look at the water wars already happening in the US southwest).

In my judgment (as a Ph.D. scientist Chemistry/Biochemistry), the environmental assessment in the draft report is a complete joke worthy of derision and jest were it not so frightening/impacting towards the south Halton Hills region.

Dr. Belshaw makes many other points in his letter regarding alternatives to the new highway which he has given me permission to share as I will continue to do in a future blog.
In the meantime, be sure to pick up a postcard and send it to Minister Wynne if you are also concerned that this proposed highway spells the end of your vision for Halton Hills. Postcards are available at the many locations around town, including the Civic Centre. Check out the town's website for locations http://www.haltonhills.ca/