Letters

Don’t facilitate Canadian Tire proposal

April 24, 2013   ·   0 Comments

I was very disturbed after reading the articles in the Citizen regarding the “proposed” Canadian Tire Distribution Centre on the employment lands and agricultural lands of Bolton/Caledon.
I was shocked that the Province has brought in a Provincial Development Facilitator, Paula Dill, to ensure a speedy closure to these proceedings. Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli was quoted as follows: “He also pointed out timing is an issue, in that Canadian Tire is anxious to begin construction soon so the new facility can be ready in 2016.”
Please, please, the first time many Bolton taxpayers even heard about this “proposed” facility was in the fall at the meeting at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness. Now things have to be speeded up to help Canadian Tire in their quest to relocate from Brampton. Caledon council must do everything they can to facilitate Canadian Tire’s demands and not the wishes and needs of the local taxpayers of Bolton. Why should Bolton accept a distribution centre that nobody else wants?
This distribution centre is too close to residential neighbourhoods in Bolton, exceeds the existing employment lands allotment, (therefore having to make use of current agricultural lands) and should not be in any residential neighbourhood, but on an existing 400 series highway, away from residential developments. Additionally, a 24/7 business with up to 800 trucks per day, will destroy our town. Think of pollution expenses to OHIP; think of smog from the continuing truck traffic every day of the year and its effect on our town; this is a relocation from Brampton, therefore there will be no “new jobs” as attributed to Mayor Morrison’s statement – “Morrison said her motivation is to bring jobs and assessment to Caledon to make the town more sustainable.” The tax assessments will be utilized to repair the continuing damage that the trucks will do to our roads, and the jobs have already been taken, as this is a “relocation of an existing facility.”
There will be many Bolton taxpayers who will be thinking of selling and relocating to other parts of Caledon, (oh yes, good for the real estate business).
Please, Caledon council is supposed to represent the wishes and needs of the local taxpayers, and believe me, judging from the Canadian Tire public meeting last November, to quote one individual, “You are not wanted here.”
And there was thunderous applause.
Sandra Clarke-Forester,
Bolton
P.S. Oh yes, the page 1 article “Canadian Tire meeting will run under the Planning Act,” whereby the Canadian Tire meeting is to be held in Caledon East due to the Planning Act? The facility is to be built in Bolton, not Caledon East, so that simply doesn’t make any sense, whatsoever. That central location is too inconvenient for Bolton residents on a weeknight, and let’s face facts. Half of Caledon taxpayers and businesses are located right here in Bolton, so that should be the criteria for where the meetings are held. Bolton is the majority, after all.

         

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