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Milton council votes against proposed highway-- barely By CHRISTINA COMMISSO Metroland Media Group A Town of Milton report recommending a controversial highway running through Halton Hills didn't pass at Town council Monday night following a tie vote. Council was split when it came to endorsing a new highway-- option 4-3 in the Province's GTA West Corridor study-- that would run from Hwy. 400 in Vaughan, cut south of Georgetown between Five and 10 Sideroads and end at the future Tremaine Road/Hwy. 401 interchange. Five councillors-- Arnold Huffman, Greg Nelson, Zeeshan Hamid and both Regional Councillors Colin Best and Tony Lambert-- voted against staff's recommendation to endorse the proposed highway and five voted for it. In the case of a tie vote, the motion loses. "The difference is Option 4-3 (an eastwest corridor) goes through the prime agricultural heartland of Halton Hills," said Lambert. He said the proposed north-south highway between Halton Hills and Brampton, dubbed option 4-2 in the GTA West study, would have far less of an impact on Halton's farmland. Both Halton Hills and the Region have endorsed option 4-2. The Province is recommending to move forward with a "hybrid" option that includes features of both 4-2 and 4-3. The Town's Director of Planning, Bill Mann, said since all land south of the Escarpment is considered prime agricultural land, both highways would have the same environmental impact. "From an economic, transportation and constructability point of view, our preferred option is 4-3," he said. Best said the east-west corridor would tie up about 100 acres of future employment lands in Milton while the Province conducts environmental assessments of the area. "If we have environmental assessments on top of the Tremaine Road interchange, it may put that area in limbo for years to come," Best warned. He added that options 4-2, 4-3 and the proposed Niagara to GTA highway have been removed from the Region's Official Plan. "This speaks volumes," he said, estimating the highways won't see any movement for the next 20 years. Miltongreen president Jim Steeves also voiced his opposition to the highway during Monday's meeting. Steeves said he'd rather see Hwy. 401 widened through Milton than a new highway through Halton Hills-- a sentiment that's been echoed by Best and Halton Hills council, who've said bringing the 401 from a rural to an urban standard would allow for a 12-lane corridor. Councillor Cindy Lunau doubted Hwy. 401 could be widened to 12 lanes without impacting the businesses already established along the corridor. She, along with Mayor Gord Krantz and Councillors Rick Malboeuf, Mike Cluett and Rick Di Lorenzo voted in favour of the staff recommendation and option 4-3. The Milton Chamber of Commerce has also supported this option. In a July 8 letter to council, the Chamber identified 4-3 as "the preferred option that will best meet the demands of Milton businesses as we continue to expand our boundaries over the next several decades." After staff's recommendation was voted down, Best put forth a motion to have Milton council adopt the Region's resolution, which supports the acceleration of all Provincial infrastructure and Metrolinx projects planned for Halton and strongly opposes 4-3. The motion passed 6-4. Halton Hills Councillors Clark Somerville and Bryan Lewis were in attendance during Monday's meeting. Somerville said he was disappointed with the staff's presentation to council. "He (Bill Mann) never mentioned that the Province is talking about a hybrid of both highways. He was talking about one or the other (4-2 or 4-3)." Despite the close vote, Somerville said all Halton's municipalities opposing option 4-3 sends the right message. "The Province will see we are united on this." Archibald garners honour The Ontario Recreation Facilties Association has presented Town of Halton Hills facility supervisor of arenas John Archibald, with the prestigious Ronald G. Burnside Memorial Award. The award is in recognition for his contribution to the association including serving as president and as a member of the Arena and Aquatics Operational committees. He also serves as ORFA's instructors, teaching ice-making and painting technologies as well as ice maintenance and equipment operations to professionals across the province. 3 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, July 21, 2011 JOHN ARCHIBALD Heritage Decks Ltd. 905-873-0368 Heritage Decks specializes in the design and construction of custom cedar decks and built-in spas. Every Heritage deck is meticulously constructed with top quality material and totally original design. Call for a free cheerful estimate. Ask about our lifetime warranty! 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