As a Senior Environmental…

Following are a few reasons offered for objecting to this proposal.
As a Senior Environmental Planner and trained forestry professional, I have witnessed a sharp decline in the practice of public consultation for transportation projects , brought about by successive amendments to the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act and related Class EA's and Regulations over the past 20 years. These amendments are always called streamlining or modernization, both euphemisms for ditching public consultation. And as a resident living on a Provincial Highway, I know first hand the feeling of helplessness felt by citizens when the MTO, without consultation, imposes a design decision that is not in the best interest of the public safety. For example, a recent highway rehabilitation project on Highway 21 in the Port Franks area was to include cycling infrastructure. Instead of a safe, separated, cycling trail, the MTO, without meaningful consultation, built a paved shoulder which is now used for passing turning vehicles and is resulting in the increase of overall travel speeds.
In the past my experience has always been that extensive public consultation for highway projects, both small and large, always leads to better projects that both the MTO and the public are proud of. Very rarely, but sometimes, public consultation leads to no project at all when they are not warranted or in the public interest. This is exactly the way it should be in a Country that claims to be democratic and free. MTO Highway Engineers and the stakeholders the government consults like the Ontario Road Builders Association and the Ontario Good Roads Association, will always favor expanding road infrastructure. Public consultation is the only tool we have to fairly and justly challenge biases shared by road building professionals and politicians at all levels of government.

Those advocating for this proposal surely have not learned anything from history, Indigenous teachings and modern religions such as Islam and Bahai', all of which hold that decisions should not take place in any matter without meaningful consultation among the citizenry.

I am opposed to this proposal.