Stop The Kettle Island Bridge

Ontario has opted out of the Environmental Assessment

The Province of Ontario has opted out of the Environmental Assessment of the Interprovincial Crossings Study although they are still a funding partner with the NCC and Quebec.

What does this mean?

• Ontario citizens are being denied the rights and protection of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act which include the right to be consulted and to appeal to the Minister of the Environment about any aspect of the project.
• Ontario has given up decision making authority to the NCC for this entire project including the location of a bridge.  John Baird, the minister responsible for the NCC and the final decision maker, has said he favours a bridge at Kettle Island.
• The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act will not be triggered until after the bridge location has been selected. Even then there is no public appeal process under this legislation.
• Under the Ontario EA Act, all the work done by the consultants is subject to review and approval by the Minister of the Environment. No such review or approval exists under the Canadian EA Act until after the bridge location is selected; therefore, to date, there has been no accountability by the consultants.
• Quebec has not opted out. The protection of their EA Act applies to this project.

What can you do?

ASAP, email our Ontario politicians, requesting that Ontario opts back in to the Environmental Assessment for the Interprovincial Crossings study.

To Premier McGuinty mcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Cc: Minister of Transportation Wynne minister@mto.gov.on.ca
Cc: Minister of the Environment Gerretsen minister.moe@ontario.ca
Cc: Our MPP Madeleine Meilleur mmeilleur.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Each person in your household should send a separate email as numbers count.  Feel free to reference the points above, or any other material on this website. A short e-mail will suffice.

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Online survey for Phase 2A public feedback

The Phase 2A consultants have created an online survey to solicit feedback.  The results of this survey will be considered in combination with other feedback received as part of the recent public consultations.  All feedback will contribute to the final definition of the process to select the location of the bridge, to be completed in Phase 2B.

You are encouraged to participate in the survey.  Depending on how familiar you are with the project, it could take up to 20 minutes to complete, so please budget your time accordingly:

http://www.ncrcrossings.ca/en/index.php (then click the Online Consultations link).

Feel free to refer to any material posted on StopTheBridge.org when submitting your responses.

The submission deadline is April 16th.

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Toxic diesel fumes result in severe health risks

The major cause of air pollution is exhaust from vehicles, especially the particulate matter (PM) from diesel engines. Unlike many toxic substances, there is no safe level of PM concentration and no means of mitigation except to remove the source.

There are 12 thousand people living within a 300 metre zone of influence of toxic air in the proposed Kettle Island Corridor. The Montfort Hospital, Montfort Long Term Care Facility, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel School are directly adjacent to The Aviation Parkway. Despite the very obvious evidence to the contrary the consultants for the bridge study have determined that the air quality impact on the Kettle Island Corridor is ZERO.

The following is a list of key conclusions of other studies around air pollution and health effects near high traffic-areas.

• Air pollution from busy roads linked to shorter life spans for nearby residents
• Truck traffic linked to childhood asthma hospitalization
• Pregnant women who live near high traffic areas more likely to have premature and low birth weight babies
• Traffic-related air pollution associated with respiratory symptoms in two year old children
• People who live near freeways exposed to 25 times more particle pollution
• Asthma more common for children living near freeways.
• Children living near busy roads more likely to develop cancer (particularly high risk for leukemia)
• Most traffic related deaths are due to air pollution, not traffic accidents,
• Emissions from motor vehicles dominate cancer risk
• Cancer risk higher near major sources of air pollution, including highways
• A school’s proximity to freeways associated with asthma prevalence
• Lung function reduction among children more likely if living near truck traffic
• Asthma symptoms caused by truck exhaust
• Exposure to carcinogenic benzene (associated with aplastic anemia and leukemia) higher for children living near high traffic areas

For more information on these studies see http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0603/et0603s21.html

You are also encouraged to refer to a study from the 13th Annual University of California Transportation Research Conference February 16, 2007, which looks at the negative impacts of trucks in communities:  http://www.its.ucla.edu/uctc/PowerPoints/Houston_UCLA.pdf

A further study has shown that babies’ DNA can be damaged even before they are born if their mothers breathe polluted air during pregnancy. This type of damage to the chromosomes makes people more susceptible to cancer. For more information see http://ecomall.com/greenshopping/babyair.htm

Send your concerns to info@ncrcrossings.ca

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Submit your Phase 2A comments online

In case you were unable to attend last week’s public consultation on the Bridge Study, it is not too late to send your comments in to the Phase 2A consultants. The deadline is April 16th.

Public opposition is key to stopping the bridge, so your comments are critical.  We need to stress the importance of protecting our health, safety, and community values.

Consultants’ Contact Information:
e-mail: info@ncrcrossings.ca
write: Mr. Patrick Deoux, EACOM Delcan, 569 Saint Joseph Blvd.,Suite 204, Gatineau, Quebec, J8Y 4A1
phone: 819 777-1630 ext.223 (French and English) OR 613 820-7728 ext. 243 (English)

For information on the study go to www.ncrcrossings.ca.

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Bridge debate back in the news

The Phase 2A public consultations have raised the profile of the bridge debate, which has been relatively quiet in recent months.  Many questions and issues remain, but the consultations are leading us to believe that there will be a more balanced approach taken to make the final determination of the corridor location in Phase 2B; one that takes into greater consideration the negative impacts on health, safety, community, and quality of life.

However, this is all theoretical at this point.  As much as there may be processes implemented during Phase 2B to gather public input, the extent to which this input will impact the decision makers is ultimately unknown.

As concerned citizens, we need to insist on as much accountability and transparency as possible to ensure that our interests are properly represented, and that our input has appropriate influence on the final decision.

CBC News published an article on March 31, bringing the bridge debate back into the public eye, and tying the issue to the upcoming municipal elections.

Mar. 31, CBC News: Ottawa River bridge plan divides east end

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