FAQ
1. Why was the study initiated and what is the purpose of the study?
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has initiated Stage 1 of a formal Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for the GTA West Corridor to support the transportation objectives of the provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe by providing for the efficient movement of people and goods.
The purpose of the study is to proactively plan for future infrastructure needs by examining long-term transportation problems and opportunities to the year 2031 and consider options to provide better linkages between Urban Growth Centres in the GTA West Corridor Preliminary Study Area, including Downtown Guelph, Downtown Milton, Brampton City Centre and Vaughan Corporate Centre as identified in the Growth Plan.
2. What is the study process and what are the key steps?
The study is being undertaken as an Individual EA in accordance with the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (EA Act) and the GTA West Corridor Terms of Reference (ToR), which was approved by the Ontario Minister of the Environment on March 4, 2008.
The current stage (Stage 1) of the EA Study includes the following key steps:
- Develop an EA Terms of Reference that guides the EA Study;
- Identify transportation problems and opportunities;
- Identify and assess transportation alternatives that address the identified problems and opportunities; and
- Select preferred transportation alternative(s) and recommend a multi-modal Transportation Development Strategy for the study area.
3. Where is the study at now? What has been accomplished?
The GTA West Corridor Study is at the stage of assessing Transportation Alternatives that were developed to address the identified problems and opportunities.
Since the commencement of the study in January 2007, the following tasks have been completed:
- Development of Environmental Assessment Terms of Reference - approved by the Minister of Environment on March 4, 2008
- Development of two draft reports - "Overview of Transportation & Economic Conditions" , and "Overview of Environmental Conditions and Constraints" - released in July 2008 for public review and comment
- Development of draft "Transportation System Problems and Opportunities Report" for public review - July 2009
- Conducted extensive stakeholder consultation and two rounds of Public Information Centres
4. What is the focus of the current round of consultation?
The third round of Public Information Centres (PIC) will focus on:
- Presenting transportation alternatives that were developed to address the problems and opportunities presented at PIC #2 (March 2009);
- Providing a high level assessment of the transportation alternatives; and
- Receiving public input prior to evaluation and selection of preferred alternative(s).
5. What will be the outcome of the EA study and what happens next?
Following the consultation on Transportation Alternatives and based on the input provided by the public and stakeholders, the study team will carry out an evaluation of the alternatives to select the preferred Transportation Alternatives involving all transportation modes based on their advantages and disadvantages.
The outcome of Stage 1 of the EA Study will be a Multi-Modal Transportation Development Strategy -
- Should options such as transit or rail be identified as part of the Transportation Development Strategy, the recommendation will be presented to the relevant authority such as Metrolinx/GO Transit, municipalities or railway companies.
- Should a new provincial highway/transitway be recommended as part of the Transportation Development Strategy, a subsequent stage of the EA (Stage 2 - Route Location EA) would have to be initiated to determine the preferred alignment and right-of-way requirement.
6. How long will it take to complete the study?
The current stage of the study is expected to be completed by 2010 when a recommended Transportation Development Strategy will be presented for public review and input.
7. What is the relationship between the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the GTA West Corridor Study?
The Metrolinx RTP, as well as the GO 2020 Strategic Plan, both represent significant initiatives by the government to implement the transportation goals and objectives of the Growth Plan by investing in transit. The GTA West Corridor Study builds on the Metrolinx RTP, GO 2020 Strategic Plan and other initiatives by the provincial and municipal governments. Specifically, all RTP projects as included in Metrolinx's "Big Move" and their assumptions have been incorporated into the demand forecasting work of the GTA West Study, as well as into the development of transportation alternatives.
8. Will development be frozen in the study area while MTO is examining alternatives as part of the EA study?
While not all development applications are frozen, MTO is working collaboratively with other provincial ministries and municipalities to address the immediate development pressures through the following approach:
- Province and municipalities work together to identify and refine strategic, critical locations where development pressures exist;
- Province requests early notification of development applications;
- Province and municipalities work in collaboration in the review of applications to determine strategy for applying various land use control tools on a case by case basis; and
- Province may request deferral of application as determined on a case by case basis.
9. Why are the Niagara to GTA (NGTA) and GTA West studies conducted as two different studies? Do they share a common study limit? Could corridors identified from the two studies potentially connect?
These studies are separate as their purposes are distinct and separate, and each are intended to address different sets of transportation problems and opportunities.
Highway 401 is the common boundary between the two studies. As each study generates and examines options to add transportation capacities, it is possible that the recommended solutions/improvements may be connected and/or integrated.
There will be a high level of coordination between these two studies, for example:
- Both studies uses the same baseline data (land use, GGH networks), assumptions, methodology for demand forecasting;
- Both studies applies the same process, factors, criteria for the generation, assessment and evaluation of alternatives;
- The GTA West study process allows the incorporation of any particular alternative considered in the NGTA EA, and vice versa; and
- Both studies are managed by the same MTO office and same consultant consortium.
10. The Growth Plan shows the GTA West Corridor crossing the Niagara Escarpment. Does the Provincial Greenbelt Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan allow for this?
Under Section 4.2 of the Greenbelt Plan - existing, expanded or new infrastructure is permitted subject to approval under relevant legislation within the Protected Countryside provided that the infrastructure meets one of the following objectives:
- (a) It supports agriculture, recreation and tourism, rural settlement areas, resource use or the rural economic activity that exists and is permitted within the Greenbelt; or
- (b) It serves the significant growth and economic development expected in Southern Ontario beyond the Greenbelt by providing for the appropriate infrastructure connections among urban growth centres and between these centres and Ontario's borders.
The Niagara Escarpment Plan permits essential transportation facilities in the Escarpment Natural Area, where "essential" is defined as "that which is deemed necessary to the public interest after all alternatives have been considered". New and expanded facilities must have the least possible impact on the natural environment and be consistent with the objectives of the Plan.
No decision has been made concerning the nature of transportation solutions to be implemented to address transportation problems within the GTA West corridor. Stage 1 of this study is examining all reasonable alternatives to address the identified transportation problems and opportunities.
11. What role will 407 ETR play in the study?
407 ETR forms part of the Transportation System through York/Peel and will be considered in the study from the viewpoint of improving the overall transportation network to meet future demand. This corridor can also accommodate future dedicated transit infrastructure along its length. In the event that future expansion of the 407 is identified as one of the solutions to serve a broader provincial transportation objective, the province will work with 407 ETR to implement the required expansion.
12. Is tolling going to be considered in the current stage of the study?
Not at this stage. This study will examine all reasonable alternatives to address the identified transportation problems and opportunities within the NGTA corridor. Tolling is an implementation issue that may be examined at a later stage in the study if specific new infrastructure is identified as needed.
The Ontario government is committed to considering innovative ways to fund new infrastructure projects, including tolling.
13. Why doesn't the preliminary study area include Kitchener-Waterloo?
The future travel demand and linkage between Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph will be addressed by the proposed new Highway 7, as a controlled-access highway (similar to the current Conestoga Parkway). The Environmental Assessment for the new Highway 7 has been completed and approved by the Ministry of the Environment. The project is now entering detailed design.
In addition, the identification of the Preliminary Study Area is consistent with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe directions (Schedule 6 of the Plan).
Regardless the travel demand analysis will be carried out in a much broader context including the examination of transportation linkages and gateways outside the Preliminary Study Area that may have an influence on the travel demand and traffic patterns in the GTA West Corridor, including Kitchener-Waterloo.
The Region of Waterloo is also be represented on the Municipal Advisory Group.
14. What is MTO's Statement of Environmental Values (SEV) and how is it being considered in the GTA West Environmental Assessment Study?
Statements of Environmental Values (SEVs) are a mechanism for ministries to record their commitment to the environment and be accountable for ensuring that the environment is considered in their decision-making.
The Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) Act requires that ministries prepare and consider their SEV wherever decisions that might significantly affect the environment are made. In other words, they must demonstrate 'how the purposes of the EBR will be integrated with other considerations, such as the environment, socio-economic and scientific issues that are part of the decision-making within the Ministry'.
MTO's SEV is available on the Environmental Registry.
The Vision Statement in MTO's SEV calls for the Ministry to be a world leader in moving people and goods safely, efficiently and sustainably to support a globally competitive economy and a high quality of life.
To achieve the Vision, the Ministry is focused on delivering four key priorities as identified in its SEV:
- Increase transit ridership.
- Promote a multimodal transportation network to support the efficient movement of people and goods.
- Promote road safety in order to remain among the safest jurisdictions in North America.
- Improve Ontario's highway, bridge and border infrastructure.
These priorities and MTO's SEV will be considered throughout all phases of the EA from the identification of transportation problems & opportunities, to the evaluation of alternatives, and identification of the most appropriate mitigation measures.
15. What is an EA?
All public infrastructure projects in Ontario, including transportation planning projects, are subject to the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (1997); they are required to undergo a process whereby all potential impacts are considered - i.e. natural, social, cultural and economic.
Projects that are particularly large and complex, with the potential for a wide range of environmental effects, like the GTA West Corridor, are subject to the Individual EA process under the Act.
The GTA West Corridor EA study is also subject to the requirements of the federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Act - with its own process and set of requirements. As a result of the Canada-Ontario Agreement for EA Cooperation, signed in 2004, MTO is committed to working in a coordinated manner with both the provincial and federal governments.
16. What is an EA Terms of Reference?
For proposed new transportation corridors that follow an Individual EA, the first step in this process is the development of an EA Terms of Reference (ToR) document that outlines the framework and commitments for completing the subsequent EA study.
The ToR outlines how the proponent will conduct the study and how impacts will be assessed. It outlines the process for identifying:
- Transportation planning/need
- Alternatives to the undertaking
- Definition of an EA study area
- Range and types of alternatives to be considered, and the
- Generation and evaluation of alternatives to be considered
The ToR also outlines the consultation process to be undertaken. In a major undertaking such as an Individual EA, a consultation program will typically include Public Information Centres (PICs), meetings with the Regulatory Agency Advisory Group (RAAG), the Municipal Advisory Group (MAG), the Community Advisory Committee (CAG), a project web site and local project office, individual meetings with stakeholders and stakeholder groups, and issue-specific workshops. The consultation program can be tailored to meet the requirements of each individual project.
The EA ToR document must be submitted to the Minister of the Environment for review and approval. If approval is granted, the proponent (e.g., MTO) may then proceed with the subsequent EA study. Once completed, this study will also in turn be submitted to the Minister of Environment for review and approval. If approved, the proponent can then proceed with design and construction.
These stages are also regulated by the Canada Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) and require additional environmental studies and consultation.
17. What is the status of the EA Terms of Reference for this study?
The GTA West Corridor Environmental Assessment Terms of Reference (Amended: July 2007) was approved by the Minister of the Environment on March 4, 2008. Please refer to the Study Process section of this website for information on the EA process following the approval of a Terms of Reference.
18. How does an Individual EA differ from a Class EA?
A Class EA is a decision-making framework under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act that applies to a range of similar, or class of, projects. A Class EA is used when potential environmental impacts and the proposed mitigation techniques are predictable and/or similar to other projects within that same class. MTO's "Class EA for Provincial Transportation Facilities" document was developed in consultation with the Ministry of the Environment, and similar to an Individual EA, it defines and documents the process to be followed when conducting the EA study as well as requirements for public participation.
19. How is MTO fulfilling its commitment towards achieving a sustainable transportation network within the GTA West Corridor study?
The ministry is currently developing a 'Sustainability Strategy' for transportation planning in Ontario, a draft of which was recently posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights website for public review and comment. The main goal of the strategy will be to influence ministry decision-making at all levels, and to incorporate the concept of 'sustainability' into policies and programs that have an impact on the provincial transportation system.
There are already many areas within the Ministry where the concept of "sustainability" is being incorporated. For example, MTO maintains a Statement of Environmental Values or SEV, which recognizes that a healthy environment is necessary to sustain the prosperity of current and future generations. The ministry's SEV states that the protection, conservation, and where appropriate, restoration of the environment will be integrated into the strategic planning, day-to-day activities, and long-term decision-making of the ministry. The "Sustainability Strategy" will help to promote the values and goals of the ministry's SEV by taking a systematic and public approach to integrating the principles of sustainability into the work that MTO does.
The GTA West Corridor study has incorporated sustainability concepts such as the 'Three Pillars of Sustainability", otherwise referred to as 'the triple bottom line' into the study process. Considering "the Environment", "the Economy", and "the Community" in decision-making will help to ensure that the identification of problems and opportunities, and the ultimate transportation solution will be developed in support of:
- Compact, vibrant and complete communities
- A prosperous and competitive economy, and
- A protected environment.
