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Volume 73, Number 24 GST Included $1.25 Wednesday June 16, 2010 Orono Town Hall Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 Agreement No. 40012366 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937 407 extension to end in Oshawa It seems the extension of Highway 407 through Clarington is once again an uncertainty. The Infrastructure Ontario website now describes the Highway 407 East Extension as, "A project to extend Highway 407 eastward about 19 kilometers from Brock Road in Pickering to the Simcoe Street area in Oshawa." Clarington and the Region of Durham had made it known to the Province they did not want the 407 east extension to be completed in phases. They had repeatedly requested the Province complete the entire extension to Highway 115/35 in one phase. Clarington Councillors took turns at Monday night's Council meeting expressing their dismay and disgust with the Province for not completing the proposed highway extension to Highway 115/35. "Needless to say I am shocked and disappointed this happened," Mayor Jim Abernethy told his fellow Council members. Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid was in Clarington last Monday participating in a round table discussion with local business leaders and he made no indication that the highway would be stopped in Oshawa, the Mayor told Councillors. "It is rather unfortunate," Abernethy said, "the day we met with Minister Duguid he had indicated the Province was committed to moving forward, not only with new build, but also with the 407." Infrastructure Ontario has issued a Request for Qualifications for the 407 East Extension. The extension will be six lanes from Brock Road to the West Durham Link between Ajax and Whitby, and four lanes from the link to Simcoe Street, approximately 19 kilometers of road. The Link to the 401, approximately 10 kilometers, will be four lanes. Only contractors who have been qualified by the Province will be issued a Request for Proposals for the project. On Tuesday, June 1st, the province approved the environmental assessment for Highway 407 east extension, from Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 35/115, including two links to the 401, one in Whitby and one in Courtice. The Province had maintained, since 2007, that the entire extension including the two links would be completed by 2013. Peterborough Liberal MPP Jeff Leal was quoted last week in The Peterborough Examiner as saying, "The government remains committed to extending Highway 407 to Highway 115/35 with the entire project expected to be completed in 2017." He explained, "With the size of the project it is more manageable to break it up into two stages." According to Clarington's David Oakes competes in the long jump at the area public schools' Track and Field Day held at Clarke High School Tuesday. Oakes was competing for Orono. Acting Director of Planning, Faye Langmaid, the environmental assessment was approved by the Province for the entire east extension to Highway 115/35. "Part of the condition of approval was they would phase the con- struction," Langmaid told Councillors. Echoing words spoken by Regional Chair Roger Anderson last week, the Mayor said, "We should not be accepting this, or make any plans for ending the 407 at Simcoe Street. We should be lobbying to make sure the government of Ontario completes the commitment they made in 2007." What's Inside Community in a flap over wind farms Industrial wind turbines have created quite a stir in the rural community. More than 250 people attended a community meeting at the Orono Arena last Thursday evening, hosted by Clarington Wind Concerns. After two hours of presentations by guest speakers, speaking on adverse health effects caused by industrial wind turbines, the audience demanded to know from the Mayor what he was going to do to support them. Mayor Abernethy said Council passed a resolution last week, asking staff to write a report on how the Green Energy Act will impact the residents of Clarington. That report will be ready by the end of the month, according to the Mayor. "Maybe we should have been more pro-active, but we are dealing with it now," Abernethy stated. He went on to say the municipality's hands are tied with respect to wind turbines because the Province has uploaded the responsibility for wind power from the municipalities. "This is a provincial issue," said Abernethy, "John [O'Toole] is the guy who should be taking the lead on this," he stated. Local MPP John O'Toole said the Association of Municipalities of Ontario should be debating this issue and passing resolutions demanding action from the Province. In his riding, O'Toole said, Uxbridge and Scugog councils have passed resolutions urging the Province to examine the public health concerns related to WIND see page 4 See page 7