March 18, 2020 Paul Young…

March 18, 2020

Paul Young
South Riverdale Community Health Centre
955 Queen St East
Toronto ON
M4M 1W7

Re: Bill 171: Building Transit Faster Act 2020

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. The concern we have with Bill 171 is that it removes decision making power from residents and businesses in the community most affected by the transit proposal. It is commendable that Bill 171 cites underlying objectives as improvements to public health and CO2 reduction. However, we believe this bill will have a negative impact on health and on the overall success of future transit proposals including the Ontario Line. We urge you to reject this bill.

The South Riverdale Community Health Centre offers a wide range of programs. Some are clinical in nature, others are geared to improving the places people live in order to keep people healthy. My work centres around public and stakeholder engagement in local planning matters. I work with groups of people to engage in and shape policy decisions regarding transportation and land use planning.

How does this relate to health? About 25 years ago people in South Riverdale (children in particular) experienced life-changing exposures to lead pollution from a local factory. Historically, residents were shut out of land-use decisions (a lead smelter located near a school). These children are now adults, some with permanent disabilities resulting from lead poisoning. Now there is a strong push to include people in local planning decisions to avoid future potentially negative health impacts.

Research tells us that meaningful engagement builds healthy communities and that disempowerment and exclusion of the public will have negative health impacts. You are decision makers elected to power. I am mindful that you may not have experienced exclusion or feelings of powerlessness. Exclusion from decisions about your life will lead to low social standing, feelings of alienation, stress, poor coping strategies and ultimately a negative impact on mental health. Bill 171 removes power from the people most affected by planning decisions.

We have engaged with Metrolinx in the Ontario Line consultations – in particular for the section south of Danforth Avenue. It appears that the project will have significant impacts. People can see the drilling rigs. Numerous parks, homes, businesses and a recreation centre lie in the path of the expanded above-ground section. It appears expropriations will be needed all along the track. But there has been little information at the open houses regarding any impacts.

Ontario’s University of Waterloo has pioneered a tool to measure the overall health of Canadians. The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) cites “Democratic engagement” as essential to wellbeing. (It) is characterized when: citizens participate in political activities, express political views, and foster political knowledge; governments build relationships, trust, shared responsibility and participation opportunities with citizens; and democratic values are sustained by citizens, government and civil society at a local, national and global level.

Again, we know public engagement is good for community health. But Bill 171 moves in the opposite direction – towards less engagement – in the name of efficiency (specifically for P3s). This direction towards less engagement will impact the implementation of transit projects.

As you may know, public engagement is a field of expertise. We know meaningful engagement is important because:
• It enables people to have a say in decisions that affect their lives
• It builds understanding between public and government
• It builds knowledge about the project intent
• It generates new ideas – using Local knowledge – makes more informed decisions
• It increases transparency and builds a foundation of trust and commitment
• It reduces risk and improves cost savings. It provides greater certainty for the proponent regarding support for the project and potential for opposition and/or delays
• It is required by law – but it is only as good as the legislation

There are several specifics in the bill that jump out. For example,

To provide flexibility (for a P3 process), the proposed regulation will have a process to permit early works to proceed to construction before the completion of the draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report, subject to:
• requirements for consultation – What are the requirements?
• identification of impacts and mitigation measures - How can these be identified if the EIA report is not done?
• issues resolution – What processes are proposed?

Preliminary activities could include:
• station modifications
• bridge replacement and/or expansions
• rail corridor expansion
• utility relocations

These activities effectively galvanize the project design leaving no options or possibility of including the EIA or suggested changes from the public or stakeholders. The bill completely undermines any faith in the engagement process.

We urge you to reject or amend this bill so that public engagement is prioritized and not further marginalized. We know transit is an essential part of a healthy community. But, in order to move forward on implementing transit projects, public trust and support will be critical.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 416-707-7524 or by email pyoung@srchc.com .

Yours sincerely, Paul Young