The citizens won – big time

Provinces caves in and abandons plans for a cross the Escarpment highway.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON February 9, 2011  –  The people won a BIG one yesterday when the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing met with Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring and Regional Chair Garry Carr and agreed that the request to the two levels of government to include a highway through the Escarpment was being abandoned.

In a press release the city said: “Concerned citizens, Halton Region and the City of Burlington applaud the province’s decision to abandon a controversial proposed transportation corridor slated to travel across a rural stretch of the Niagara Escarpment.

After a recent meeting between Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring, Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr and the provincial minister of municipal affairs and housing, Rick Bartolucci, the province announced that the proposed route would no longer appear on the regional official plan.

“I know my colleagues on council join me in saying that the City of Burlington will benefit from the progress being made at the provincial level to understand that the environmentally sensitive Niagara Escarpment is not a suitable location for a new highway,” Mayor Goldring said. “I want to acknowledge the stellar work of Councillors Blair Lancaster and John Taylor in partnering with the community, bringing together groups from different organizations to share one voice that has the support of the City of Burlington.”

The following groups made up the ground level troops that were putting pressure on the provincial government to drop the proposed plan.

Citizens Opposed to Paving the Escarpment (COPE), Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, Lowville Area Residents Association (LARA), BurlingtonGreen , Coalition of the Niagara Escarpment (CONE), Protecting Escarpment Rural Lands (PERL) and the Cedar Springs Community.

They should collectively plan a celebration party.  They did a great job

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