Council votes 16-5 in favour of Bowesville

Rejean Chartrand was at his best today, saying all the right things to lead councillors and the public down to Bowesville.

Now I'm convinced: The PWG process was a complete sham. From the beginning there were members who thought the site was pre-determined before the PWG even got started. Ann Coffey even quit for this reason.

We see the MOU project description stating Walkley as the site for the maintenance yard. The city introduces two other sites for the EA and indicates a preference to the Airport Parkway site. Through the PWG proces yet another additional site, Bowseville 4C was identified for which no EA was done. Then the Mayor strikes a sweet deal with the Airport Authority for the Bowesville lands. The PWG is still meeting at this point, yet no decision or recommendation has been made.

I believe that the information on which today’s vote was determined was already known when the Public Working Group met but was deliberately witheld. It was a complete waste of my time and taxpayer money.

I sincerely hope the Ontario Minister of the Environment steps forward and puts this city in line for breaking the rules that govern the Environmental Assessment process. $200 million in provincial taxpayer money is on the line, and I expect an answer.

Ron Rancourt