Bill 6, Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act, 2013, passed the Ontario Legislature in a unanimous vote at Third Reading on June 4.
The Bill requires the Government to publish a 10 year infrastructure plan, which must be updated every 5 years.
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott is the PC Critic responsible for Bill 6 and spoke in favour of it at Third Reading on June 3.
“There’s nothing stopping them from bringing forward a long-term infrastructure plan, even if Bill 6 doesn’t pass. But certainly…as the Official Opposition, we support the idea of long-term infrastructure planning for the Province of Ontario,” Arnott told the House during his remarks on the Bill.
Arnott also took the opportunity to continue to fight for local infrastructure projects which he believes should be included on any long term provincial infrastructure plan.
“The government is committed to around $13.5 billion in infrastructure [spending this year],”
Arnott pointed out. “When you look at the list, for example, about $2.5 billion on provincial highways, $2.7 billion on hospital infrastructure, $1.9 billion on education infrastructure; justice, $243 million. I think it’s therefore reasonable for us, as members of the opposition, to point out some of the infrastructure needs in our ridings.”
Among those priorities were the Highway 6 Morriston Bypass through the Township of Puslinch, the need for a new courthouse in Halton Region and a new Holy Cross Catholic School in Georgetown, the need for funding for the Erin Waste Water Management System and the Station Road Bridge in Hillsburgh, the importance of the government following through on its commitment to all-day two-way GO Train service for Acton and Georgetown, and investment in high speed internet in rural Ontario.
“We have put together something called the Morriston Bypass Coalition, which had a number of meetings in recent months with key officials within the government, including senior staff and several of the ministries. The Morriston Bypass Coalition is a group of businesses, chambers of commerce and municipalities: Con Cast Pipe, Sleeman, Guelph Chamber of Commerce, Canada Bread, the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, Nestlé Waters, Tim Hortons, Maple Leaf, the Freight Management Association of Canada, Fluke Transportation Group, the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Hamilton Port Authority, the city of Hamilton, the Hamilton international airport, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Cargill, the county of Wellington, the Ontario Trucking Association, the Southern Ontario Gateway Council, the township of Puslinch, the city of Guelph and, of course, the county of Wellington.”
Arnott said this group has generated an economic analysis of the need to proceed with this project, and are waiting to hear back from the Minister of Transportation on a recent request that we have made.
“I would, again, respectfully request to the minister that he, as soon as possible, agree to meet with the township of Puslinch council representative-hopefully, the county of Wellington could be represented at that meeting, as well as the Morriston Bypass Coalition-so that he could hear for himself the important urgency of this project. I would hope that he would be in a position, then, to add it to the five-year plan of the ministry.”
Arnott added that the economic study prepared by Dr. Clarence Woudsma of the University of Waterloo underlined the need to move forward with the Morriston bypass.
Current logjams in the community are costing commuters tens of millions of dollars every year, and the commercial traffic costs are in the millions of dollars annually.
“I also want to again remind the government that the Premier herself, in question period in July, implicitly acknowledged the importance of the Morriston bypass project. … as a former Minister of Transportation, we know-hopefully-that she has an understanding of the transportation needs of the province, perhaps better than some, and she would, hopefully, want her Minister of Transportation to follow through on this implicit statement that she made, that it should be made a priority. Again, I would ask the minister to do that.”
Arnott added “Again, the township of Puslinch has done their homework, as was requested by a previous Minister of Transportation, who, of course, now serves as the Minister of Energy, who suggested that they put together this business coalition and study the economic impact. This has been done, and it is now finally up to the government to respond.”
Arnott had a number of other projects that he also wanted to raise, but ran out of time and had to be cut off by the Speaker.
The Ontario Government has committed to spending $130 billion on infrastructure over the next ten years, to which Arnott asked, “our riding has a long list of important local infrastructure needs.”
Arnott said afterwards. “The projects that I raised, as well as a number of other ones, require the support of the provincial government.”
The spring session of the Ontario Legislature wrapped up on June 4.
With the Legislature in recess, Arnott will be working in the Wellington-Halton Hills Riding Office and in our communities in the coming weeks.
