Province asks for proof of consultation on controversial Blair warehouse project
The City of Cambridge has been given a deadline to prove to the province it has consulted with the community on a controversial warehouse project in the neighbourhood of Blair.
The plan was to build a one-million square foot warehouse and logistics distribution centre at Dickie Settlement Road and Fountain Street South, near Highway 401.
City council unanimously approved a Minister's Zoning Order (MZO) for the project back in April, a process meant to fast-track development projects while also barring any further public consultations or appeals.
The province gave its approval in August.
Those decisions angered some local residents who have continued to protest the approval process and specifically the use of MZO's.
On Monday, Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios brought up the issue to Steve Clark, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, during Question Period at Queen's Park.
"I've [written] the mayor, and asked specifically, from a council perspective, have they done their due diligence in terms of consultation with the local community," responded Clark. "The city came back and again confirmed, not only had they done their due diligence, but that they also reaffirmed that they requested a Minister's Zoning Order. Speaker, we've been very clear with the city of Cambridge, with the local council on this project. We expect that they do their due diligence before they ask for this order."
CTV News obtained a letter Clark sent to Mayor Kathryn McGarry on Oct. 27. In it, he references two previous letters to McGarry, and specifically one dated Aug. 27. It reads, in part: "In that letter, I also emphasized that a failure to engage with Indigenous communities may result in the revocation of the MZO. My staff and I have requested on a number of occasions that the City of Cambridge share the outcomes of its consultations. To date, my Ministry has not received any assurances that meaningful consultation has taken place by the City of Cambridge. I am therefore requesting that you provide an update to my Ministry by November 30, 2021 or I will have no choice but to consider commencing the process to revoke the MZO."
In a statement to CTV News, the City of Cambridge said it received the final site plan application from Broccolini Real Estate Group on Nov. 10 and it will be circulating that plan to "various agencies, stakeholders and First Nations."
The city also said a response will be sent to Clark by Nov. 30, and a Traffic Impact Study and Heritage Impact Assessment will be presented to council at a later date and will be open for delegations.
Lonny Bomberry agrees that Six Nations should have been consulted when the project was in the planning stages.
The land and resources director for Six Nations said in a statement to CTV News: "If the city does not consult with us, regardless of the timeline, then the project should be pulled. That would be a good thing because it would set a precedent that besides the Counties of Haldimand, Brant, and the City of Brantford, that all other municipalities within the Haldimand Tract must consult with us."
Bomberry is hoping to meet with the city to discuss the project.
-- With reporting by Heather Senoran
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.