Ontario Transport Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria stated that the federal government gave in to “fringe groups” by rejecting a proposal for jets to operate at Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport.
“If this is how they’re going to handle larger projects, I don’t think much will get built,” he said during a news conference in St. Thomas, Ont., while assuring that they would continue with their plans.
A source familiar with the discussions told that, as a result, Ontario is reconsidering its backing for the Alto high-speed rail initiative.
Shortly after that discussion, 11 MPPs from Ontario released a statement raising concerns about Alto.
“In the case of Alto, too many questions remain unanswered. Too many voices have been ignored,” the statement noted.
For the project to move forward, local stakeholders need their feedback “reflected in the project’s planning, route selection and delivery,” according to the MPPs.
“The federal government must ensure that any potential future rail project minimizes impacts on farmland and is supported by those affected.”
WATCH | ‘There will be expropriations’ in high-speed rail project buildout, says minister:
‘There will be expropriations’ in high-speed rail project buildout, says transport minister
While Transport Minister Steven Mac Kinnon mentioned that ‘our obvious preference’ is to acquire land for the Alto high-speed rail project from willing sellers, he acknowledged that there may be instances where property has to be expropriated from owners.
The 11 MPPs are mainly from eastern Ontario regions and include two cabinet ministers: Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn and Labour Minister David Piccini.
The other MPPs involved in the statement are: Steve Clark, Dave Smith, Tyler Allsopp, Ric Bresee, John Jordan, George Darouze, Laurie Scott, Stéphane Sarrazin and Billy Denault.
Federal Transport Minister Steven Mac Kinnon announced the decision regarding Billy Bishop via social media on Friday, stating that the government would focus solely on “approved safety enhancements” for the downtown airport instead.
He explained that Ottawa reached this conclusion following consultations and mentioned a public survey where 87 percent of respondents opposed expanding operations at the airport.
However, a senior Liberal source indicated that timing was not coincidental. The party aims to retain its seat in Toronto’s Beaches-East York riding during an Aug. 31 byelection announced on Sunday.
The source added that part of why they made this announcement was knowing that the NDP opposed expansion and would likely use it as a campaign issue.
This caught provincial officials off guard since it contradicted months of discussions focusing on mutual support for both Alto and Billy Bishop expansion projects; two sources acquainted with these talks informed .
Both initiatives face some resistance from impacted residents and require governments to spend some political capital.
WATCH | Feds reject Billy Bishop expansion:
Federal government won’t support Ontario’s Billy Bishop Airport expansion. The federal government stated it wouldn’t back Premier Doug Ford’s plan for expanding Billy Bishop Airport so jets could take off and land there due to concerns over noise levels, safety issues , and public health worries. According to one individual familiar with these conversations , Premier Doug Ford expressed his disappointment with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over recent developments , and now , the province is reassessing its strategy concerning Alto – which anticipates trains traveling up to speeds reaching 300 km/h cutting through valuable farmland in Ontario , with stops planned at major cities between Toronto all way toward Quebec City.
The sources asked not be identified because they weren’t authorized comment publicly about these matters. The initial report came out earlier throughSource link. The provincial government had previously indicated support for this railway endeavor while Ford himself proposed adding another stop located within Kingston.
This partnership agreement established collaborative efforts between both levels governments towards “planning advancement” relating specifically focused upon taking necessary steps forward regarding Alto.
A spokesperson representing Prime Ministers office defended their view supporting plans aimed at implementing fast travel options referring such an undertaking as being “generational investment.” It’s estimated approximately twenty-four million riders could utilize services annually before hitting numbers closer forty-three millions come around year two thousand eighty-five.“WATCH|Alto still finalizing route:Alto closer finalize route connecting Toronto Quebec City.</span Martin Imbleau-CEO associated together-claims Kingston stands ready possibly receive stop positioned somewhere along new train line connecting major metropolitan areas like mentioned above however express trains won’t necessarily halt here each time. In month prior (May) provincial authorities enacted legislation allowing them takeover city-owned properties adjacent waterfront plus islands surrounding town itself facilitating transition across tripartite agreement initially governing facility under control local municipality. Sarkaria didn’t clarify how progress could move ahead without gaining approval needed first relying heavily upon collaboration aspect tied into partnership shared between parties involved thus far! Meanwhile Mayor Olivia Chow opposing jet accessibility proposes returning ownership rights back toward original holders despite protest against further development attempts ongoing presently amidst rising tensions across boarders beyond limitations set forth earlier-therefore no resolution found yet matching expectations sought after completion process required fulfill contractual obligations agreed-upon mutually agreed terms prior beginning construction work underway soon thereafter … (As per request please revert back previous articles which lead us directly correlating answers expected moving forward cautiously.)
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Federal government won’t support Ontario’s Billy Bishop Airport expansion. The federal government stated it wouldn’t back Premier Doug Ford’s plan for expanding Billy Bishop Airport so jets could take off and land there due to concerns over noise levels, safety issues , and public health worries. According to one individual familiar with these conversations , Premier Doug Ford expressed his disappointment with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over recent developments , and now , the province is reassessing its strategy concerning Alto – which anticipates trains traveling up to speeds reaching 300 km/h cutting through valuable farmland in Ontario , with stops planned at major cities between Toronto all way toward Quebec City.
The sources asked not be identified because they weren’t authorized comment publicly about these matters. The initial report came out earlier throughSource link. The provincial government had previously indicated support for this railway endeavor while Ford himself proposed adding another stop located within Kingston.
This partnership agreement established collaborative efforts between both levels governments towards “planning advancement” relating specifically focused upon taking necessary steps forward regarding Alto.
A spokesperson representing Prime Ministers office defended their view supporting plans aimed at implementing fast travel options referring such an undertaking as being “generational investment.” It’s estimated approximately twenty-four million riders could utilize services annually before hitting numbers closer forty-three millions come around year two thousand eighty-five.“WATCH|Alto still finalizing route:Alto closer finalize route connecting Toronto Quebec City.</span Martin Imbleau-CEO associated together-claims Kingston stands ready possibly receive stop positioned somewhere along new train line connecting major metropolitan areas like mentioned above however express trains won’t necessarily halt here each time. In month prior (May) provincial authorities enacted legislation allowing them takeover city-owned properties adjacent waterfront plus islands surrounding town itself facilitating transition across tripartite agreement initially governing facility under control local municipality. Sarkaria didn’t clarify how progress could move ahead without gaining approval needed first relying heavily upon collaboration aspect tied into partnership shared between parties involved thus far! Meanwhile Mayor Olivia Chow opposing jet accessibility proposes returning ownership rights back toward original holders despite protest against further development attempts ongoing presently amidst rising tensions across boarders beyond limitations set forth earlier-therefore no resolution found yet matching expectations sought after completion process required fulfill contractual obligations agreed-upon mutually agreed terms prior beginning construction work underway soon thereafter … (As per request please revert back previous articles which lead us directly correlating answers expected moving forward cautiously.)
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