Minister promises action on 410 extension, Highway 10 widening

Ontario Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar has promised that his ministry “will do what is absolutely necessary to move ahead with” both the extension of Highway 410 and the widening of Highway 10 through Caledon Village.

Replying in the legislature to questions from Opposition Leader John Tory, Mr. Takhar said he was “prepared to confirm that we are going to consult the local community and we're going to hear their views,” but gave no indication of when either project will proceed.

During the legislature’s question period on Tuesday of last week, Mr. Tory raised the matter as Progressive Conservative member for Dufferin-Peel-WellingtonGrey.

“Minister, tens of thousands of people in Brampton and Caledon and many other communities have a keen interest in the extension of Highway 410,” he said. “This project has been in the works for years, including two years on your watch. “Is the minister prepared to confirm now that he will be proceeding with phases two and three of the extension of Highway 410, confirm when work will begin, and confirm as well that every reasonable step will be taken to mitigate the effects of the extension of Highway 410 on neighbourhoods like Valleywood? Will you confirm those things for us now?”

“Actually, I was expecting this question a long time ago,” the minister said. “I thought the Leader of the Opposition would ask me this question, because half of the 410 goes in his riding. Actually, I have not yet understood what his position is on 410: whether he wants this Highway 410 to go through the Valleywood Park, behind their homes, or he wants us to reconfigure the 410.

“But let me tell you what our government is doing. We are absolutely committed to moving ahead with Highway 410. We are actually about to tender the construction contract for phase two of the Highway 10 project. But there's only one hitch: There's one person who has asked for judicial review of his land. As soon as that issue is cleared up, we will go ahead and tender phase two of the 410 contract.”

Mr. Tory said the minister “will know what my position is, because I asked you about mitigating effects on the neighbourhood, which you didn't answer.”

As a supplementary question, he noted that another project, “which has been in the works for years, including more than two years on your watch, is the widening of the two-lane stretch of Highway 10 through the village of Caledon. Now, the minister will know that this narrowing of the highway both poses a safety risk and contributes a lot to gridlock for tens of thousands of people in southern Ontario.

“Will the minister confirm that he's going to put a push on this project and get on with it and get something done on this Highway 10 widening through the village of Caledon?”

“Let me tell you what I'm prepared to confirm,” the minister replied. “I'm prepared to confirm that we are going to consult the local community and we're going to hear their views, and then we will do what is absolutely necessary to move ahead with these projects.

“We understand these projects are important for the Caledon community, they're important for Peel, and that's why we're absolutely committed to moving ahead with these projects, especially the third phase of the 410.

“It is critical for us to have some congestion relief in those areas.”