Rail safety and provincial representation were atop the list of priorities at Friday’s Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton (GTAH) mayors and chairs meeting.
Minister of Transport and Halton MP Lisa Raitt attended the meeting, held at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, to hear from GTAH mayors and regional chairs on issues surrounding transportation and infrastructure. Rail transit was an area of shared concern among those in attendance, including issues surrounding ownership of rail lines, jurisdiction and mental health. “I’m not their (Canadian railway companies) favourite person, but these are good topics of conversation,” said Raitt, who has been sharply critical of railway companies for frequent derailments, crashes and insufficient safety measures.
Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey, who said the city has the potential to become the next ‘Silicon Valley’ with its focus on technology and innovation, brought up the issue of who owns major rail lines.
She said any proposed changes to transit infrastructure requires prolonged negotiations with CN and CP, which collectively own a huge chunk of commercial railways throughout Canada.
Milton Mayor Gord Krantz said he was all too familiar with this issue, as the Town’s attempt to get two-way, all-day GO service to Milton.
Raitt said Krantz has been on her case for 18 months about ownership of rail lines, adding it’s an issue that will be considered in future talks with both companies.
Roger Anderson, chair of Durham region, was hesitant to dig too deep into rail-related issues, as they fall under federal jurisdiction. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton reminded the mayors and chairs in attendance that municipalities have authority under their planning acts, which extend to issues that have a common boundary with railroads.
“We might not want to throw that baby out too quickly,” he added.
In addition, Raitt reminded the attendees that the Canada Transportation Act is currently under review and all information received by mayors and regional chairs will be circulated back to Ottawa for consideration.
Wayne Emmerson, York Region chair, asked Raitt if the federal government would be contributing any funding toward mental health, as more and more people are using rail lines to take their own lives.
Raitt pointed to the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the #308conversations, a federal initiative that requires MPs to convene with their communities and host discussions about mental health and suicide prevention. She also said 1-800 numbers have been placed near rail lines in the GTAH in hopes of stopping people before they make the decision to jump onto the tracks.
The meeting shifted to infrastructure improvements, with Ajax Mayor Steve Parish calling on the federal government to act like more of a partner when it comes to dealing with municipalities. He cited chronic gridlock, traffic problems, road repairs and other huge challenges in the GTAH and demanded more than just a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Ottawa to honour its commitment.
Raitt said the federal government’s $53-billion commitment to infrastructure projects over 10 years should signify its willingness to be a partner with municipalities.
“We’re all on the same side here,” she told Parish.
The meeting came to a close with an hour-long discussion about increasing GTAH representation at the provincial level and efficiently streamlining information between the municipality and the Province. Attendees opted to create three ‘working groups’ that would include political representation from each region of the GTAH — transit and transportation, planning and growth for infrastructure, and economic growth.
Mayors of Milton, Burlington and Oakville split up the workload, with Krantz volunteering for economic growth, Burlington’s Rick Goldring opting for transit and transportation, while Oakville’s Rob Burton joined the planning and growth for infrastructure.
The motion for the ‘working groups’ was passed unanimously and will await approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- -----------------
Detail Link :
http://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/5552319-gtah-mayors-meet-in-milton-to-discuss-transportation-infrastructure-issues/