By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At Council's March 10 meeting, Councillors Christina Early and Lynn Kiernan brought forward a motion to initiate a Caledon Village Bypass feasibility study.

The motion was referred back to staff.

The motion stated that a bypass has been identified by residents and businesses as the primary long-term solution to redirect through-traffic and heavy goods movement away from the village core, which is stated to receive up to 40,000 vehicles per day.

Early said at the meeting this bypass has been something discussed for many years.

“I think we need to have a starting point, and we need to get serious about it so that we can look at how we can protect the future and have our roads safer.”

Not only would a study be conducted, but also a letter be sent to the Minister of Transportation and the MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, Sylvia Jones, requesting the MTO's formal participation and financial partnership in this study, given the provincial jurisdiction of Highway 10, and that staff consult with the Region of Peel and relevant stakeholders to ensure the study integrates with regional goods movement and safety strategies.

Caledon Village resident Kate Hepworth delegated on the motion, stating “it's been a long time coming.”

She's lived in Caledon Village for 20 years and began advocating for 15 of those.

In her delegation, she depicted numerous traffic violations and safety concerns that happen almost daily in the Caledon Village core.

Highway 10, which runs through the core, is under the jurisdiction of the MTO, which presented challenges in discussions regarding the motion.

Domenica D'Amico, Commissioner of Engineering, Public Works and Transportation, stated at the meeting she estimates the study would take two years, cost up to two million dollars, and is not something her department would have the staff or resources to complete at this time.

D'Amico said that she does not have the authority to issue a feasibility study on a road that Caledon doesn't own, adding that this would have to be something MTO would lead.

Early added that she's looking to start the conversation in this regard.

“There's been enough conversation about this Highway 10 that if we don't start taking some seriousness here and putting something on the floor, that will at least get us to the next step,” says Early. “I would hate to see what Caledon is going to look like in ten years in that particular area.”

Kiernan added to the historical aspect of the motion, saying this is not the first time something like this has come to the Council floor.

In 2016, she said, Regional Councillor Barb Shaughnessy tabled a motion asking for the MTO to complete a feasibility study for the Highway 10 bypass. 

“This will not be on Caledon's back. We need the MTO involved in this,” said Kiernan.

She added that while the MTO believes when the 413 is built, it will alleviate traffic in Caledon Village, “it will not alleviate what's going on in Caledon Village, and I will stand by that forever. We need that bypass,”

Not only have concerns arisen about congestion, safety concerns, impact on air quality, and noise, she said, but also about the impact on the heart of a historic village.

“The community has been living this for years. The challenge is real. The question is whether we're willing to do the work to properly examine long-term solutions,” says Kiernan. “To be clear, this motion does not commit us to build anything. It simply asks to partner with the MTO for a feasibility study that was requested ten years ago.”

Mayor Annette Groves recognized the issues on Highway 10, saying she is disappointed with the MTO, as they have been “knocking on their door for many, many years,” regarding Caledon's advocacy surrounding both Highway 50 and Highway 10.

She also recalled when former Councillors Ian Sinclair and Councillor Paterak both brought forward this bypass.

Councillor Cosimo Napoli expressed his concerns regarding staff comments.

“What's the sense of passing a motion that our staff can't do anything with?” he asked.

He put forward a referral to bring the motion back to staff to complete a report with future steps to take.

“I think a referral is just going to bring back a staff report that's going to keep us in limbo like it was the last 20 years for [Councillors] that have put motions on the floor, and I think we need to move forward with this,” Early says in regard.

Groves added that she supported the referral, as it will also feature conversations with the MTO when it comes back.

“We've been talking about Highway 10 for years and years and years. We still don't have all those solutions that we asked for and over to MTO,” says Groves.

Various Councillors also voiced their agreement with the referral being the first step.

“To initiate something means to start the ball rolling, and if you think MTO is going to take the initiative here, that's not going to happen,” said Kiernan in return.

In the end, Council passed the referral of the motion to staff to bring back a future report.