Brampton council votes not to reverse city’s Highway 413 support
Published January 26, 2022 at 5:06 pm
Brampton City Council has voted not to reopen discussion on supporting the province’s Highway 413 project.
Coun. Doug Whillans put forward a motion on Wednesday asking the city to reverse it’s support of the proposed project, also known as the GTA West Highway.
The motion could have seen council “strongly oppose” the controversial infrastructure project “in its entirety.”
But before voting on the motion itself, council required a two-thirds majority to reconsider its initial decision to support the project back in 2019.
That vote failed, killing Whillans’ motion and more than a dozen delegations slated Wednesday’s council meeting.
“All I was trying to do was reopen the issue and have a healthy debate,” Whillans said on Twitter shortly after the vote. “So much for our path to a sustainable Brampton.”
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The proposed highway would be a 50-km stretch of road that connects highways 400 and 407, cutting through the western part of Brampton.
The project has seen opposition from politicians in Mississauga and Brampton, as well as conservationists concerned about the project’s impact.
Mississauga City Council and Region of Peel Council have both passed motions opposing construction of the highway, while Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson has thrown his support behind the project.
In an interview with insauga.com on Wednesday, Ontario Transportation Minsiter Caroline Mulroney said she followed the Brampton council vote and was “pleased to have the city’s continued support for the highway.”
“Building highway 413 is the right thing to do for drivers, and the outcome of today’s vote is an affirmation of this,” Mulroney said.
Last year, Brampton council passed a resolution proposing an urban boulevard through residential areas in Brampton as an alternative to the highway project.
Brown said on Wednesday that he plans to push for the boulevard option despite the failed vote to reconsider the city’s official position.
But Mulroney says the city’s boulevard proposal is “not compatible” with the operational and the functional requirements of the highway, and that the ministry “maintained that position” in a formal letter sent to city council Tuesday.
“Our government is here for Brampton, we want to keep those lines of communication open…but as presented, the proposal is not compatible with the requirements of the highway,” Mulroney said.
A project manager with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation is scheduled to speak at tomorrow’s Region of Peel council meeting, where he’ll present councillors with information related to preliminary design of the highway.
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