Editorial — Minister’s order will be benefit, in long-run

July 26, 2013 · 0 Comments

The controversy concerning the massive Canadian Tire development slated for the Bolton industrial area is not likely to go away soon.
There are people who vehemently opposed the proposal, and they might have a hard time accepting the way things have turned out.
Town council last month approved the development of the large distribution, warehouse and office facility, and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Linda Jeffery last week issued the necessary order for the zoning to be approved.
We respect and thank the people who cared enough about their community to oppose this development and make their views known, and we realize that the final decision is not the way they wanted things to turn out. Who among us does not prefer to be on the winning side?
But we believe the benefits of this development are going to eventually become apparent.
As we stated in this space a couple of weeks ago, Canadian Tire is a large, well-established and reputable Canadian corporation that has seen fit to commit a massive investment in this community. And Canadian Tire is in a position to set an example that other high-quality companies would be inclined to follow. That is a good thing, especially since these lands have been set aside for employment purposes.
There are going to be some inconveniences. Some opponents have pointed to the number of trucks that will be generated. True, there will be a lot of them. But the reality is the type of development these lands have been set aside for are going to generate truck traffic, whether Canadian Tire comes in or not.
If we must have this traffic, is it not better that it come from a reputable company that’s making a big investment in the area?
Besides, roads in the area are being adjusted to handle the increased load of traffic. The last segment of the Bolton Arterial Road (BAR) is currently being worked on, in the hopes that heavy trucks (including those from Canadian Tire) will be directed appropriately.
It’s time to set the disagreements aside and welcome this addition that’s soon to come to the Caledon employment community.
And we predict that not too many years are going to pass before most people in the community see this facility as the asset that it’s really going to be.