Official Report of Debates (Hansard) Journal Des Débats
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Legislative Assemblée Assembly législative of Ontario de l’Ontario Official Report Journal of Debates des débats (Hansard) (Hansard) G-11 G-11 Standing Committee on Comité permanent des General Government affaires gouvernementales Getting Ontario Moving Act Loi de 2019 pour un Ontario (Transportation Statute Law en mouvement (modifiant Amendment), 2019 des lois en ce qui concerne le transport) 1st Session 1re session 42nd Parliament 42e législature Tuesday 21 May 2019 Mardi 21 mai 2019 Chair: Dave Smith Président : Dave Smith Clerk: Julia Douglas Greffière : Julia Douglas Hansard on the Internet Le Journal des débats sur Internet Hansard and other documents of the Legislative Assembly L’adresse pour faire paraître sur votre ordinateur personnel can be on your personal computer within hours after each le Journal et d’autres documents de l’Assemblée législative sitting. 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Hansard Reporting and Interpretation Services Service du Journal des débats et d’interprétation Room 500, West Wing, Legislative Building Salle 500, aile ouest, Édifice du Parlement 111 Wellesley Street West, Queen’s Park 111, rue Wellesley ouest, Queen’s Park Toronto ON M7A 1A2 Toronto ON M7A 1A2 Telephone 416-325-7400; fax 416-325-7430 Téléphone, 416-325-7400; télécopieur, 416-325-7430 Published by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Publié par l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario ISSN 1180-5218 CONTENTS Tuesday 21 May 2019 Getting Ontario Moving Act (Transportation Statute Law Amendment), 2019, Bill 107, Mr. Yurek / Loi de 2019 pour un Ontario en mouvement (modifiant des lois en ce qui concerne le transport), projet de loi 107, M. Yurek ................................................................... G-277 Mr. Ketheesakumaran Navaratnam ..................................................................................... G-277 Walk Toronto ...................................................................................................................... G-281 Ms. Daniella Levy-Pinto Coalition for Vulnerable Road User Laws .......................................................................... G-283 Mr. Patrick Brown Friends and Families for Safe Streets .................................................................................. G-286 Ms. Heather Sim Mr. Hamish Wilson ............................................................................................................. G-288 CUPE Local 2 ..................................................................................................................... G-291 Mr. Gaetano Franco Ontario Safety League ......................................................................................................... G-294 Mr. Brian Patterson Ontario Brain Injury Association ........................................................................................ G-297 Ms. Tanya Jewell Scarborough Transit Action ................................................................................................ G-300 Ms. Moya Beall CAA South Central Ontario ................................................................................................ G-303 Mr. Elliott Silverstein Ms. Meredith Wilkinson ..................................................................................................... G-306 Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 .............................................................................. G-308 Mr. Carlos Santos Mr. Aleem Tharani Ontario Good Roads Association ........................................................................................ G-311 Mr. Scott Butler Spinal Cord Injury Ontario .................................................................................................. G-314 Mr. Peter Athanasopoulos Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs ........................................................................... G-316 Mr. Andrew Walasek Ontario Traffic Council ....................................................................................................... G-318 Mr. Geoff Wilkinson G-277 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO STANDING COMMITTEE ON COMITÉ PERMANENT DES GENERAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRES GOUVERNEMENTALES Tuesday 21 May 2019 Mardi 21 mai 2019 The committee met at 0900 in room 151. now is represented by Vijay Thanigasalam, a PC member of Parliament. Scarborough–Rouge Park is a transit desert. There GETTING ONTARIO MOVING ACT came a ray of hope for residents in my riding when the (TRANSPORTATION STATUTE LAW recent city of Toronto announcement committed to build AMENDMENT), 2019 the Eglinton East LRT via University of Toronto Scarbor- LOI DE 2019 POUR UN ONTARIO ough into Malvern. If we could go back some more years, EN MOUVEMENT (MODIFIANT DES LOIS there we have the Sheppard East LRT, a $1.1-billion pro- EN CE QUI CONCERNE LE TRANSPORT) ject, which, if not shelved, would have been up and run- ning from 2013 in the Scarborough–Rouge Park area. We Consideration of the following bill: have been made to wait year after year, government after Bill 107, An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and government, only to be told that no rapid transit is coming various other statutes in respect of transportation-related to our neighbourhoods. matters / Projet de loi 107, Loi modifiant le Code de la The bitter truth is that if transit inequities like these route et diverses autres lois à l’égard de questions relatives persist, men like myself will die four years earlier than our au transport. counterparts in the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada. The Chair (Mr. Dave Smith): Good morning. We’re Statistics Canada research shows that the average life here today for the public hearings on Bill 107, An Act to expectancy for men in the wealthiest 20% of neighbour- amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes hoods is four years longer than those in the poorest 20% in respect of transportation-related matters. Pursuant to the of neighbourhoods. For women, it’s two years longer. order of the House dated April 15, 2019, each witness will Death rates are also 28% higher in the poorest neighbour- receive up to six minutes for their presentation, followed hoods. by 14 minutes for questions from committee members, While the governments over three decades have failed with two minutes allotted to the independent member of in delivering rapid transit to communities in Scarborough– the committee and 12 minutes divided equally between the Rouge Park, the government’s plan today completely two recognized parties. corners and isolates Scarborough–Rouge Park by leaving Before we begin, are there any questions? Okay. it out of its transit map. The new map, while making a connection to Ontario Place, fails to make a connection to the University of Toronto Scarborough, Centennial Col- MR. KETHEESAKUMARAN lege and Malvern Town Centre. Plans like these don’t help NAVARATNAM move Ontario. The Chair (Mr. Dave Smith): I’d like to call our first Alarmingly, with the introduction of this bill, it serves presenter to the table, Ketheesakumaran Navaratnam. to curtail the municipal plan that is in the planning stage Once you start to speak, you’ll have six minutes. Please to build rapid transit to our communities like Malvern, introduce yourself so that we have the actual pronunci- which is an emerging neighbourhood. With the introduc- ation of your name and then we’ll start your presentation. tion of Bill 107, the government is embarking on what I Mr. Ketheesakumaran Navaratnam: My name is would like to call a “transit abortion,” depriving commun- Ketheesakumaran Navaratnam. ities like Malvern in Scarborough–Rouge Park from rapid To the members of the standing committee: Thank you transit, which was about to materialize in the near future. for this opportunity to speak on Bill 107, particularly You may recall that prior to the 2018 election, the schedule 3 and its deteriorating effects to residents and government of the day did commit to building the Eglinton communities in my riding. East LRT. Disappointingly, no neighbourhoods in Plans after plans after plans for new rapid transit have Scarborough–Rouge Park are included in any of the rapid been proposed and developed over the decades, only to be transit lines. Informed by evidence, I am of the opinion shelved, scrapped or cancelled. that no neighbourhoods in the new transit map would I appear today as an ordinary citizen from the riding of make a more compelling case for an urgent connection to Scarborough–Rouge Park, which was created in 2015 and a rapid transit network than Scarborough–Rouge Park. G-278 STANDING COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT 21 MAY 2019 Why? Because the neighbourhoods in Scarborough– Mr. Logan Kanapathi: Thank you for coming out and Rouge Park are some of the most underserved. They have making a deputation. more than enough ridership; they have a remarkable Traffic congestion, gridlock, is very common to many number of youth population, visible minorities, immigrant of those Scarborough ridings. There are many ridings in population and seniors. Studies after studies show that the Scarborough: