MPP Arnott to Minister of Transportation: Put Cancellation of Alternative 4-3 in writing

NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington – Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2012

MPP Arnott to Minister of Transportation: Put Cancellation
of Alternative 4-3 in writing
(Queen’s Park) – While residents of Halton Hills have received an assurance from Transportation
Minister Bob Chiarelli that Alternative 4-3 of the GTA West Corridor study is off the table, Wellington-
Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott is continuing to push the Government to put this commitment in writing.

“In my experience, cabinets often get shuffled over the summer,” said Mr. Arnott. “If Mr. Chiarelli is
assigned to another Ministry and we don’t have anything in writing, we could very well find ourselves
back at square one.”

Consequently, a week after Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette received a verbal commitment from
the Minister that he had decided to end further consideration of Alternative 4-3, Mr. Arnott wrote to
Minister Chiarelli, requesting written confirmation.

Last Thursday, almost a month later and having yet to receive a response, Mr. Arnott tabled a
number of Order Paper Questions in the Legislature asking the Minister to put the matter to rest
through written confirmation or a public statement.

In the Ontario Legislature, MPPs can table written questions, known as Order Paper Questions, and
Government Ministers are obligated to respond in writing within a specified timeframe. Both the
questions and answers are published on the public record.

On June 20, the last day that the House was sitting before the summer recess, Mr. Arnott spoke to
the Minister in the Legislature in order to bring the Order Paper Questions to his attention. A few
minutes later, the Minister sent Mr. Arnott a note indicating that his staff was preparing a letter to be
sent to the Mayor of Halton Hills to put the commitment in writing.

“I want to once again thank everyone involved,” Mr. Arnott concluded. “The Mayor, Council and staff
of the Town of Halton Hills, the Regional Chair, Council, and staff of the Region of Halton, and all
the members of CRASHH have all worked so hard on this issue. As I said last month in the Ontario
Legislature, this victory belongs to them.”

(Attached: Ted Arnott’s May 22 letter to the Minister of Transportation
Handwritten note from the Minister of Transportation to Ted Arnott on June 20, including
the Order Paper Questions Mr. Arnott tabled the previous week.)

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Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org