Press
RACING TO RICHES? NOT WITH A SPEEDWAY.
By Paul Shigley on 26 April 2011
Tulare County economic development Paul Shigley
The City of Tulare has officially given up on a proposed speedway. The premature checkered flag for the Tulare Motor Sports Complex is hardly a surprise.
On the surface, auto racing tracks seem like a sexy way to generate big economic returns. Cities such as Indianapolis, Charlotte and Daytona Beach owe a good portion of their existence to auto racing. But these places are the exception, as numerous other cities have learned over the last decade.
Letters sent to Editor of Fort Erie Times. January 14, 2012
OMB hearing important for people who care about health and safety
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Speedway is a 'threat' to niagara
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PRESS RELEASE - November 15, 2011
SPEEDWAY OPPONENTS FINALLY GET
THEIR DAY IN COURT
Fort Erie, ON: Residents of Fort Erie concerned about the proposed motor speedway development for the town will want to put January 17th, 2012 on their calendar. This is the rescheduled date set by the Ontario Municipal Board for a pre-hearing; the first step in the process to appeal the Town of Fort Erie and Regional Niagara’s decision to override the Official Plan in order to allow the construction of a speedway within a rural and residential area. Several appellants will be participating in the pre-hearing and hearing process; including local grassroots organization, the Citizens Coalition of Greater Fort Erie.
“We’re eager to get this matter in front of the OMB,” said CCGFE President, Sandy Vant. “It was very disappointing when, in the eleventh hour, the speedway development group asked to defer the originally scheduled pre-hearing date of April 8th, 2011. Hopefully, they are now ready to present the required and still outstanding noise, traffic and environmental studies for review, and we can finally get this process underway.”
As CCGFE prepares for this “David vs. Goliath” fight before the Ontario Municipal Board, several powerful environmental and conservation groups have stepped up in a show of support; including the David Suzuki Foundation, Ontario Nature, and the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society.
It follows that the renowned David Suzuki Foundation would have a specific interest in this issue. For the past decade they have been addressing the phenomenon of what is termed ‘urban sprawl’; with a recent focus on the loss of natural spaces in Southern Ontario. In their report, Understanding Sprawl: A Citizen’s Guide, Dr. Suzuki explains “Urban sprawl doesn’t pay. This type of expansion across agricultural lands will result in huge costs due to the infrastructure, as well as ongoing costs associated with the environmental and public health impacts.”
The decision of Municipal and Regional Governments to override the Official Policy and create a ‘special policy area’ to allow the speedway group to build on the 821 acres they have ear-marked in Fort Erie, paves the way for urban sprawl across agricultural lands, protected wetlands, creeks and forest areas.
CCGFE has also conferred with Ontario Nature, an agency charged with protecting the wildlife and biodiversity of the province. Ontario Nature is reviewing the impacts of the proposed development and will be closely following the OMB proceedings.
The Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) is yet another prominent conservation group that is ever-watchful against the threat of urban sprawl in their efforts to protect the agricultural industry and natural heritage areas of Niagara. PALS will also be presenting their case against the speedway development before the OMB as a co-appellant in the proceedings.
In the recently issued Conservation Action Plan for Niagara, Carolinian Canada Coalition notes that the Niagara River corridor includes some of the most biologically diverse natural areas in the Golden Horseshoe. A project such as the proposed motor speedway would compromise several of the 11 goals outlined in the Niagara CAP.
“We are thankful that the review process gives us an opportunity to bring these serious health and environmental issues to the attention of the OMB and local residents,” said Vant.
The OMB pre-hearing takes place in the Fort Erie Council Chambers at 11:00am on Tuesday, January 17th; and is in place to identify all the parties in the case and establish a format for the actual hearing. The pre-hearing is open to the public and CCGFE encourages all those who stand in opposition to the speedway development to attend. Also, for more information on this issue, concerned citizens are urged to visit the CCGFE website at www.ccgfe.org.
Incorporated in 2010, CCGFE is a grassroots community group whose primary objective is to support responsible development that will enhance and protect the cultural and ecological assets of Greater Fort Erie and Regional Niagara.
Letter sent to Editor of Fort Erie Times. October 11, 2011
PROPOSED SPEEDWAY:
DISMAL ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR FORT ERIE
Dear Editor,
This is in response to the letter entitled “Speedway is exactly what this town needs” (October 8th issue of the Times). First, I certainly hope the EDTC will also have something to say to this reader who managed to completely insult new employer, Infocision, by suggesting ‘fly-by-night’ tendencies of the call centre business model; something I’m sure will not sit well with a successful, multinational corporation such as Rogers Communications.
For my part, I have often wondered who the misguided residents are that trust a high-powered PR campaign and fail to do their own research because they are so desperate to believe the hype. Mr. Harkins is “unable to get too excited” by Infocision’s announcement of 100 or more new jobs in the first year of operation and instead touts trumped up employment numbers in connection with the proposed speedway development. Regretfully, I am forced to burst his bubble and share the REAL numbers for existing speedways of comparable size to the 60-100,000 seat stadium that has been proposed for Fort Erie (e.g. Atlanta Motor Speedway-124,000 seats, Kansas Speedway-81,687 seats, Talladega Superspeedway-143,000 seats, Michigan International Speedway-119,000 seats). You see, I HAVE done the research and these speedways employ an average of just 50 full time staff; and rather than hire people at all, many have adopted the practice of inviting service clubs to man parking lots and concessions in order to avoid having to pay wages and employment taxes.
As far as the benefit to local businesses, I beg you to check with the people of Brooklyn, Michigan, a small town that is home to the Michigan International Speedway, the same NASCAR facility that our mayor and his entourage visited last year. (Although most may not be aware of his trip, since an official report on the visit that taxpayers funded has never been made available to the general public.) The town of Brooklyn has not changed in size or scope one iota since the speedway opened in 1968. Not only that, many local businesses in the town close during a NASCAR week and residents tend to leave the area, since the horrendous traffic and incessant noise make it impossible to bring in staff or to enjoy their own backyards. Meanwhile, the majority of economic benefit is being reaped 40 minutes away in the city of Ann Arbor, due to their existing hotel and attraction infrastructure; reminiscent of this area and the choices visitors could make between Fort Erie and Niagara Falls. In our case, racing fans will either elect to stay in Niagara Falls, or on site in the camping spaces; the latter being heartily encouraged by the speedway owners and supported by the retail outlets they intend to open within the compound, and if they ever leave the campground, it will be to hop the shuttle bus to Fallsview Casino. So…..lucky us. We get to deal with the noise, traffic, bridge delays, pollution, and security issues while businesses in Niagara Falls benefit. Not to worry, though. We’ll cross our fingers and hope our children get a seasonal, minimum wage job working in a concession stand. I don’t know about you, Mr. Harkins, but I would much rather my son or daughter work in a clean, safe environment such as a call centre, that offers professional skills training and opportunity for advancement.
Finally, how refreshing that you would “rather see my tax dollars go to costly infrastructure”. Will you be just as generous when it comes to funding the long term cost of health care due to respiratory diseases, particularly in the case of children who are forced to breathe the toxic fumes from leaded gas; or the debilitating effect of constant and excruciating noise that often leads to depression, sleep deprivation and impaired concentration?? Just checking.
Dianne Giliforte, Fort Erie
Letter sent to Editor of Fort Erie Times
Mr. Editor:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr. Harkins comments in the Oct. 22 issue of the Times regarding his opinion that U.S. speedways don't matter. Kudos to Ms. Giliforte for taking the time to research other speedways and the effects they have had on the communities in which they operate. It is the only way Fort Erie residents can glimpse a future with a speedway dominating our lives.
Perhaps Mr. Harkins does not need to look at the numbers, but I do. For me, the small number of full time jobs offered by the proposed speedway does nothing to compensate for the ill effects mentioned by Ms. Giliforte. Yes Fort Erie, like most communities that depended on manufacturing jobs in the past, has taken a hit since the late 1970s. Replacing those jobs with sustainable, good paying opportunities is certainly a challenge. Yet it does not mean that every development proposal is a good fit for a community. The speedway is a retrogressive venture, which threatens our environment and quality of life. Burning fossil fuels does affect health; particularly since the Federal Government allows race cars to burn leaded gas. Cancer, asthma and heart disease are all realistic expectations. Perhaps Mr. Harkins should read the American Lung Association State of the Air: 2004 to become fully informed on the effects of air pollution on ones health.
Why would we want to further degrade our air quality for a few part time, seasonal, minimum wage jobs? In my opinion, the town is better off actively attracting and assisting new industries with year round employment opportunities such as those that would be offered by Greensafe Demanufacturing Inc. Greensafe estimates they can offer upwards of 340 jobs, year round. They will be building (yes, that means construction jobs) in an appropriately zoned area close to the transit they require, and Greensafe maintains that the process is extremely clean. No need to extend water and sewer outside the urban boundary so that taxpayers can continuously pay for infrastructure upgrades. They would be located in town close to the work force; thereby eliminating long commutes.
Sustainable, full time jobs add value to a community. Tourist related jobs are not year round jobs. Mr. Harkins puts a high emphasis on tourist dollars; the most fickle dollars to chase. He pointed out that a call centre does not bring in tourist dollars. He's right. It brings in year round wages. He questioned what a call centre operation could do for local service clubs or charities? The answer...it would allow people to have a decent paycheque, pride in themselves and the ability to give back to their community.
In Mr. Harkins first letter to the editor, he mentioned his fear that Fort Erie will become a ghost town. Interestingly, according to Regional Niagara's statistics from 2006, Fort Erie's growth (2001-2006) was 6.3% which was 2.2% percent higher than the Region as a whole which only experienced a 4.1% growth level for the same time period. All this without a speedway! There must be a reason people choose to move to and stay in Fort Erie over other options in Niagara. Hmmm. Perhaps it is because this is a quiet, small, picturesque town, according to Mr. Harkins description; which affords a beautiful quality of life that must and can be protected by making smart choices with regard to the future development of the community.
Linda Julie, Fort Erie
September 30, Fort Erie Times
Congratulations to the Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourism Corporation and Job Gym, who played a vital role helping InfoCision, a contact centre provider for Rogers Communications, choose Fort Erie for their recent expansion into Canada.
The well needed jobs are welcome and it is great to see that a formerly vacant space is being utilized on Garrison Road instead of new infrastructure expansions such as those wanted by the Canandian Motor Speedway to house gift shops, restaraunts and other commercial venues that could be just as easily located in town where local businesses could benefit and taxpayers would not be on the hook for water, sewer, road and service expansions, upgrades and maintenence.
Sandy Vant
Citizens Coalition of of Greater Fort Erie
April 12, 2011, Niagara at Large
Fort Erie, Ontario – One Municipality That
‘Has Sure Gone Crazy’
There is a classic old Three Stooges film about the three knuckleheads pretending to be plumbers and botching things up so badly in a house they were working on that water started squirting out from electrical appliance in the place.
April 5, 2011, Niagara at Large
Fort Erie’s Speedway Opponents Draw Support From Suzuki Foundation And Others As Showdown Over Controversial Plan Is Delayed
SPEEDWAY CONSORTIUM DELAYS APPEAL DUE TO LACK OF COMPLETED STUDIES
Fort Erie, ON – The consortium hoping to build a motor speedway in Fort Erie is not ready to face-off before the Ontario Municipal Board and instead, has requested that the OMB delay the prehearing originally scheduled some time ago to take place on Friday, April 8th.
April 5, 2011, Richard Hutton, staff, Fort Erie Post
Speedway OMB pre-hearing delayed
Proponent needs time to tie up 'loose ends': Martin
One of the backers of the proposed Canadian Motor Speedway remains confident the project will go ahead despite a request to delay an Ontario Municipal Board pre-hearing concerning the proposal.
The pre-hearing had been scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday in the council
chambers at Town Hall but the hearing has been adjourned at the request of the proponents, including the Town of Fort Erie, the Region of Niagara and 1746391 Ontario Inc.
March 16, 2011, Niagara at Large
Please Note: The OMB prehearing was originally scheduled to take place on April 8th. However, late last week CCGFE received a notification from the proponent's lawyer requesting that court proceedings be delayed due to the fact that their client still had not completed the necessary environmental and health studies that must be provided to the OMB and all appellants. In the spirit of cooperation and transparency, CCGFE agreed to allow the delay. The purpose of the prehearing is to identify all the parties in the case and establish a format for the actual hearing. It is open to the public and CCGFE encourages all those who stand in opposition to the speedway development to attend.
Fort Erie Speedway Opponents Brace For David vs. Goliath Battle Even As They Ask – Where Are The 'Completed Studies' To Support This Project?
"We do not inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."
– Native American Proverbs
On the heels of the Bay Beach condo tower fiasco, the Ontario Municipal Board appeal process concerning the largest proposed development in Fort Erie in recent history, the Canadian Motor Speedway project, begins with a pre-hearing on Friday, April 8th, 2011 at 11:00am in Fort Erie Town Council Chambers.
Trees being cut on a portion of the more than 800-acre site in Fort, Erie, Ontario planned for NASCAR racing stadium.
Although environmentally destructive for Niagara, this application for a NASCAR speedway was hastily pushed through the approval process in late 2009; primarily due to the demands of the proponent, who expressed their exasperation and impatience with the lengthy approval process in Canada. Apparently, the investors' concerns were unaccustomed to being constrained by procedures meant to protect area citizenry.
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The Fox TV ratings dropped 19% for a sprint cup race at Bristol motor Speedway this past weekend.
Source: Niagara Falls Review - March 24, 2011
dramatic drop of attendance at
Bristol Motor Speedway after a half century
of sell out crowds.
Source: Niagara Falls Review - March 24, 2011
If they Build it Will they Come?
After plowing under fertile fields for the last time and possibly exposing tax payers to an estimated $53 million dollar infrastructure bill, (estimate from Niagara Regional Staff Report PWA 121-2009) what if race fans do not come?
Indy drops ticket prices for 2011 Brickyard 400 as attendance continues to decline
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which according to NASCAR estimates has seen its attendance decline by nearly half in the last three years, announced that it would lower ticket prices on select seats for the 2011 Brickyard 400.
Auto Club Speedway president addresses attendance, racing
Auto Club Speedway President Gillian Zucker brushed off attendance concerns and praised the quality of racing at her track during an open interview session at Sunday’s Pepsi 500.
NASCAR Attendance, Ratings, Sponsorships Down As Fans Cut Costs
NASCAR has seen attendance "at nearly every track slip this year as recession-weary fans continue to cut costs"....
Wednesday, Feb 23, 2011
By:JOHN ROBBINS/Bullet Media
A split town packs council chamber over
Bay Beach controversy
FORT ERIE - In a marathon session Tuesday evening Fort Erie councillors listened to and questioned nearly 39 delegates speaking for and against a public-private partnership that would see a 12-storey condominium tower built at Bay Beach.
But the nearly six hours of speeches and debate failed to sway a single vote one way or the other.
February 10, 2011
By:Bullet Media
BREAKING NEWS (Updated):
FE council ends Bay Beach stalemate
FORT ERIE - Town councillors voted 4-3 Wednesday night to move ahead with a controversial partnership with a private developer to build a 12-storey condominium complex at Bay Beach.
"We'll be moving forward," Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin told Bullet Media Thursday morning.
The decision was made following a two-hour-long closed session meeting, during which councillors were briefed by town solicitor Heather Salter on a number of potential legal scenarios which could unfold depending on how council decided to proceed.
After weighing their options, councillors voted to instruct Salter to contact The Molinaro Group and let the principals know the town will not be backing out on contractual agreements entered into by the previous council last summer.
In a registered vote Martin, and councillors Stephen Passero (Ward 1 - North Fort Erie), Rick Shular (Ward 2 - South Fort Erie) and Paul Collard (Ward 6 - Stevensville) voted in favour of the partnership moving ahead. Opposed to the motion were councillors Bob Steckley (Ward 3 - Crescent Park), John Hill (Ward 4 - Ridgeway) and Don Lubberts (Ward 5 - Crystal Beach). Council emerged from their deliberations around 11 p.m. and due to the late hour, Martin said it was agreed that members of council will be permitted time to explain their reasons for voting the way they did at Monday night`s regular council meeting.
February 10, 2011
By Richard Hutton, Niagara This Week
Bay Beach condos a go
Council votes to step aside, let project go ahead
Fort Erie town council has decided to move ahead with the controversial Crystal Beach Gateway Project.
After meeting behind closed doors for two hours Wednesday night, town politicians voted 4-3 in favour of proceeding with a planned development on land at Bay Beach.
February 1, 2011
By Doug Draper, Niagara at Large
Ontario Municipal Board Rules In Favour Of Controversial Condo Tower In Crystal BeacH
A developer’s plans to build a controversial condo tower along the shores of the historic Fort Erie, Ontario community of Crystal Beach has been approved. According to a decision, approved by the OMB this January 31 following.....
January 31, 2011,
Niagara This Week
OMB approves Bay Beach project
Planning appeals to condo proposal dismissed
The Ontario Municipal Board has cleared the way for the Crystal Beach Gateway Project to be built on a portion of land at Bay Beach.
In handing down his decision, OMB chair Reid Rossi dismissed the appeal by opponents to the project, a joint proposal between the town and Burlington-based developer The Molinaro Group that will include the construction of a 12-storey condominium.
CBCnews, November 2, 2010 –
GENTLEMEN, STALL YOUR ENGINES!
Edmonton Indy dead, city confirms
The Edmonton Indy will not take place in 2011, making it doubtful the race will ever return, a senior city official confirmed Tuesday night.
OBAMA ECONOMY KILLS NASCAR ATTRACTION AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It's a case of "Gentlemen, stall your engines" in the racing capital of the Sunshine State as a once-popular NASCAR tourist attraction is closing down due to the persistently sluggish economy.
DARLINGTON RACEWAY HOPES PRICE CUTS ON YOUTH TICKETS BRINGS MORE FAMILIES TO NASCAR RACES
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Darlington Raceway hopes to bring more families back to NASCAR by expanding youth discounts for next year's racing season.
October 27, 2010
by Megan Ogilvie - The Star
Province rejects proposed Pickering growth
Durham Region’s plan to convert 1,200 hectares of farmland in northeast Pickering to housing for 30,000 people has been rejected by Ontario’s municipal affairs ministry.
The proposed urban expansion onto valuable agricultural lands is out of step with the province’s regional growth strategy that aims to limit urban sprawl, the ministry ruled.
The decision is a victory for the Town of Ajax, which has said the development of important watershed and agricultural lands in Pickering would put Ajax at greater risk for erosion and flooding.
PRESS RELEASE - September 1, 2010
Contact: Dianne Giliforte – Dianne.giliforte@gmail.com
Fort Erie Speedway Likely to Bring Property
Values Crashing Down
September 7th Council Meeting Will Discuss Rezoning
to Allow Development
Property values in Fort Erie will likely plummet due to the effect of a speedway on the local environment, according to staff at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation‟s Toronto Office. The Canadian Motor Speedway is a proposed development which would attract 60,000 to 100,000 participants to NASCAR-style racing events in the midst of a community of 30,000.
Concerned local resident and home owner, Susan Speck, has diligently amassed data which supports the correlation between a speedway and decreased property values; and recently brought her findings to the attention of the Citizens Coalition of Greater Fort Erie. According to Ms. Speck, “This occurrence is commonly called "Property Stigmatization‟ and is associated with health, environmental or investment risks.” She learned that property stigmatization “may be due to natural hazards and aesthetic disamentities; social conditions such as the crime rate; and infrastructure conditions with potentially obnoxious characteristics such as nearby highways, airports, industrial facilities, and racetracks.”
This reality is echoed by real estate professionals in both the United States and locally. “Everybody living within five miles or more . . . will have their property values decreased by 50 percent or maybe more,” said Realtor Robinson Leach, recounting his experience selling property in the small town of Lakeville, CT; adjacent to Lime Rock Raceway. “The experience of selling homes around our local auto race track for over 30 years bears me out on all my opinions.” Local real estate agents concur that noise and traffic congestion are known irritants that will decrease property values; and the Appraisal Institute of Canada concurs that “Diminution in value to a property is a result of buyer resistance which may be real or perceived”, and it follows that the public perceives health risks and other stigmas associated with close proximity to site which generates noise and air pollutants.
The Citizens' Coalition of Greater Fort Erie (CCGFE), a group of local residents in support of sustainable development that respects the integrity of established neighbourhoods and local citizens, is concerned that changes to the Town of Fort Erie‟s Official Plan have been approved to allow the development of the CMS in an agricultural area surrounded by residential neighbourhoods; without having strategies in place that will ensure protection from the noise and pollution.
At their meeting on September 7th (6pm), Town Council will be considering bylaw and zoning changes to further support the development of the speedway. Among other zoning protections, Council will likely discuss overriding Bylaw Nbr. 129,90, Sec. 6.23 which currently prohibits “obnoxious uses” of land due to the “creation of noise or vibration” or by the “reason of emission of gas, fumes, smoke, dust, or objectionable odour”, etc.
“Our organization wants to ensure the public is fully informed and consulted”, stated CCGFE President, Sandy Vant. “We urge council to follow a course of action that provides for serious contemplation of by law changes and to table any decisions until the proponent‟s Noise Study is complete and peer reviewed; and the Ontario Municipal Board Appeals are completed and the results known.” Area residents are encouraged to get involved by attending the Council Meeting on the 7th, and visiting www.ccgfe.org for updates.
HERITAGE ADVOCATES FORM REGION-WIDE ALLIANCE
Will Hold OUR HERITAGE IN CRISIS: DO YOU CARE?
Educational Conference
PRESS RELEASE, August 5, 2010.
Volunteers from across the Niagara Region announced today the formation of the Niagara Heritage Alliance (NHA). “We have been working for months to form and organize this alliance, and we are pleased to announce that representatives from 19 separate communities, representing all municipalities which comprise Regional Niagara, have come together to form the NHA”, stated NHA President Val O’Donnell. “Our built and natural heritage is under constant and severe threat. We are committed to heritage preservation and enhancement, and this alliance allows us to speak with a strong, unified voice and communicate our concerns to all levels of government and the OMB. Once a piece of our heritage is gone, it is gone forever” she added.
To view complete Press Release, CLICK HERE to download PDF.
http://www.niagaraheritagealliance.org
July 18, 2010 (Toronto Star)
by Wendy Gillis
Does Toronto still want the Indy?
Gas Guzzling Extravaganza Leaves Many Indifferent
 |
|
There's still plenty of seating available 45 minutes before racetime at Sunday's running of the Honda Indy Toronto. (July 18, 2010) |
In its heyday, Indy fans used to come for the raw energy of speeding cars, the deafening roar of engines and screeching tires, the stench of gasoline and burned rubber.
In Toronto, that used to be considered fun. And in many cities — mostly in the car-racing crazy centres in the American Midwest — it still is.
But at Toronto’s once-premiere racing event, attendance over the years has steadily dropped, and holes in the grandstand seating this weekend mean this year is no different.
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June 4, 2010 (Toronto Star)
Unmuzzle the critics
Residents trying to protect natural areas or oppose development in their neighbourhoods have often faced a lopsided battle against developers with deep pockets.
A more recent development, though, tilts the balance so far it risks undermining the public’s right to participate in the planning process. Residents who fight developments increasingly fear they’ll be bankrupted if the proponent retaliates by suing them for legal costs.
That’s why the province appointed an expert panel last week to outline legislation to stop “lawsuits from being used to silence critics by imposing long and costly court processes on them.” This is a welcome departure from the government’s previous position that SLAPP suits — an acronym for Strategic Lawsuits Against Pubic Participation — were not a problem.
Appointing an expert panel, however, should not be used as an excuse to further delay the necessary remedy. The panel was given a generous September deadline for its report. The government should be prepared to introduce legislation soon after.
This is not a new field. In fact, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath introduced an anti-SLAPP private member’s bill in 2008. Quebec and half the American states already have anti-SLAPP laws, which generally provide judges with more discretion to throw out cases deemed to be attempts to stifle public participation.
By moving quickly to introduce anti-SLAPP legislation, the government would send an important message that citizen engagement in the planning process is needed and wanted in Ontario.
June 17, 2010 (Niagara This Week)
By Richard Hutton
Citizens vie for a 'Greater Fort Erie
When Sandy Vant and Dianne Giliforte created the anti-speedway group CARS (Citizens Against Racing Speedway) last September, the goal was to illustrate that Fort Erie needs to pay attention to its rural and agricultural heritage and not just bring in development for development’s sake.
With local and Regional government approvals to rezoning that would allow the Canadian Motor Speedway proposal to move forward being appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, Vant and Giliforte recognized the need to look at an even bigger picture.
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| Citizens vie for a 'Greater Fort Erie'. Citizen’s Coalition of Greater Fort Erie president Sandy Vant, right, shows director Dianne Giliforte the site of what will be part of the road course for the Canadian Motor Speedway. The land, bordered by Sunset Drive and Gilmour Road, is currently zoned agricultural and is worth protecting, the pair said. Under the rezoning proposal, the land would be rezoned light industrial. Richard Hutton |
June 17, 2010 (Niagara This Week)
By Richard Hutton
Bay Beach OMB tab could reach $100,000
Council approves dipping into reserves to fund legal cost
Council has decided to set aside funds to pay legal costs associated with Ontario Municipal Board hearings over the controversial Bay Beach development in Crystal Beach.
But a decision to amend the 2010 operating budget for the town by adding $100,000 to fund a defence of the town’s decision to rezone land on the south side of Erie Road and facilitate a joint project to build a 12-storey condominium with Burlington-based developer the Molinaro Group was met with résistance from a pair of town politicians.
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June 1, 2010 (Windsor Star)
By Lee Greenberg
Debate urged on road tolls, carbon tax
Ontario should start charging drivers for using its roads, says the province's environmental commissioner.
In a report issued Monday, Gord Miller says tolls and other measures, like a traffic zone system similar to those in place in London and Stockholm, will help the government reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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From The Green LaneTM, Environment Canada's World Wide Web site
Regulations Amending the Gasoline Regulations
In fall 2009, Environment Canada consulted stakeholders on a proposal to amend the Gasoline Regulations to allow the use of leaded gasoline in competition vehicles. Proposed amendments were then published in Part I of the Canada Gazette on April 3, 2010, for a formal 60-day public comment period that was required before final publication.
The Gasoline Regulations have been amended to allow for the production, import and sale of leaded gasoline for use in competition vehicles.
The amendments have been registered and are in effect. The amendments will be added to the Orders in Council database in the coming days and publication will follow shortly thereafter in Canada Gazette, Part II.
The amendments to the Gasoline Regulations state the following:
Regulations Amending the Gasoline Regulations
Amendment
1. Subsection 3(2) of the Gasoline Regulations is replaced by the following:
(2) These Regulations, except for sections 2 and 11, do not apply in respect of gasoline for use in competition vehicles.
Coming into Force
2. These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/ceparegistry/temp_docs/documents/regs/leaded
_gasoline/2010-06_amendment.cfm
Jun 08, 2010 (Niagara This Week)
Richard Hutton, staff
Bay Beach sale approved
The impact of Fort ErieTown Council’s decision to enter into an agreement with the Molinaro Group con
cerning the sale of land at Bay Beach is radically different, depending on which side of the debate one is on.
If you are Mayor Doug Martin, the Crystal Beach Gateway Project will be good for the town. If you are Ward 3 Coun. Bob Steckley, its a mistake that will become “this council’s legacy.”
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June 2, 2010 (Niagara At Large)
By John Bacher
New Study Shows Importance of Wetlands Threatened By Controversial Fort Erie Motorway Plan
Currently there is a lull before the storm of the planned Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the Fort Erie Canadian Motorway Speedway.
This scheme, facilitated by the amendments to the Fort Erie and Niagara Region Official Plans which are under appeal, would designate some 817 acres of land that are now protected as “Good General Agricultural Land”, into a “Special Policy” area.
The delay in the OMB hearing is because the Town of Fort Erie and the Niagara Region are seeking to develop new zoning categories to replace the agricultural designation which now prohibits motorways. At the same time, proponents of the motorway are likely engaged in arm-twisting with the province over the fate of a predominately Pin Oak Swamp Forest. This is an area the developer seeks to cross with a bridge that would allow motorcars to race over the forest below.
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May 27, 2010 (Niagara This Week)
by
Paul Forsyth
Lead fuel ban threat to speedway
Major 2010 racing events at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold could be in jeopardy if the federal government doesn’t quickly approve an exemption for the use of leaded fuel in Canada’s racing industry.
An existing exemption for the racing industry expired at the end of 2009, and while the government is proposing the exemption be extended for an indefinite period, it hasn’t been passed yet.
Peter Bicknell, co-owner of the local speedway, said it’s expected the government will consider approving the exemption in early June. But if there are delays, that could spell trouble for Canadian speedways.
While many Canadian racers already use unleaded fuel, Bicknell said American racers — where leaded gas is allowed in racing cars — don’t.
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May 7, 2010 (letter in Niagara Falls Review)
By Dianne Giliforte
FACT FINDING TOO LATE
Reflecting on the trip that Mayor Martin and his entourage have just completed to the Richmond International Raceway, I find it fascinating that:
- AFTER his extensive negotiations with the ownership group behind the proposed speedway project for Fort Erie (dating back to early 2007) and,
- AFTER a charade of inviting community dialogue on the project, which was permitted on just two stilted and time restricted occasions in September and December of 2009, and
- AFTER he pressed and received a vote from both Municipal and Regional Councils to amend their respective Official Plans in order to allow an urban expansion over agricultural land and a Provincial Significant Wetland,
he now feels called upon to ‘mitigate resident concerns about noise, pollution and traffic congestion’ (Niagara Falls Review, April 23, 2010) by visiting the Richmond track during a NASCAR event there last weekend. To some, it might appear that Mayor Martin and the Town and Regional staff accompanying him on the jaunt to Richmond, were practicing due diligence on behalf of area citizenry; except it is more accurately a case of locking the barn door after the horse has escaped. But for the diligent efforts of opposing resident and environmental concerns, the speedway would be a ‘done deal’ if left solely to our elected officials. Thankfully, the opposition is taking the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board Appeals Court, although it is shameful that this type of irresponsible development is allowed to proceed to that level.
In regard to the hasty trip to Virginia, what a challenge it must have been to cram all we need to know into a single weekend experience. No wonder Martin & Co. expected they would ‘see very little of the race’ (Fort Erie Times, April 24, 2010). As Mayor Martin announced prior to the trip, they “wanted to see everything.....the impact on water and sewer, the environmental impact, the economic impact, you name it.” (Niagara Falls Review, April 23, 2010). An ambitious undertaking indeed, gleaning and observing all of that and hopefully, public health issues and safety risks while they were at it, at a facility that has been in operation since 1946; decades before we became environmentally conscious and our esteemed politicians touted green policies and eco-friendly, sustainable development. Instead, why even consider the presence of an environmental blight that will negatively impact our area for generations? Rather than struggle to mitigate or mask the problems wrought by the racing industry – just don’t make the mistake of building another speedway!
Sadly, Mr, Mayor, your ‘fact-finding mission’ to ‘see what we have to do’ (Niagara This Week, April 29, 2010) smacks of “too little - too late” to many of your constituents.
financial problems keeping race in Edmonton
Edmonton homeowners' taxes going up 6.5%
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton
/2010/04/27/13739671.html
Off-track fun cut at Indy
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/
2010/02/17/12922091.html
Edmonton Indy lost $3.9M, to be covered by city
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/
2009/11/24/11912936.html
Permanent track for Indy eyed
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/
2009/12/18/12198546-sun.html
Posted By RAY SPITERI / Review Staff Writer – April 22, 2010
Fort Erie mayor researching speedway impact
in Virginia
Mayor Doug Martin is heading to Virginia next weekend to see what impact, if any, the Richmond International Raceway has had on the community.
While thousands of motor heads will be cheering their favourite driver during the May 1 Crown Royal Heath Calhoun 400, part of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, Martin and a handful of town and regional officials will meet with municipal staff and Richmond's mayor on how to mitigate resident concerns about noise, pollution and traffic congestion.
"The track (in Richmond) is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood and we want to see what it's like on race day -- how you get people in and out, the sound in and outside of the stadium, and the general atmosphere," said Martin, adding the group will likely see little of the race.
...........Read More
PRESS RELEASE - March 31, 2010
NEW CITIZENS GROUP TAKES SPEEDWAY ISSUE TO
ONTARIO APPEALS COURT
Fort Erie, ON - Fort Erie residents now have non-partisan representation committed to protecting and preserving our natural heritage. A group called the Citizens Coalition of Greater Fort Erie (CCGFE) is an incorporated entity that stands ready to represent the best interests of area citizenry. The primarily purpose of the Coalition will be to liaise with government, corporate and non-profit agencies in order to effect positive change and have a collective voice with regard to decisions that impact the community at large.
The first matter to be scrutinized by the group is the proposed motor speedway development; tentatively planned for an 821 acre site at the juncture of the QEW Highway and Bowen Road Exit. Initially, the Citizens Coalition of Greater Fort Erie plans to work closely with CARS (Citizens Against the Racing Speedway); who have been compiling information and participating in public meetings regarding the speedway project since their formation last September.
“We're fortunate that CARS has already extensively investigated the components of this project” stated Coalition President, William Nelson, “and through their website and petition campaign, they've done an excellent job of informing the general public on the speedway issues. The Coalition now plans to take this background and experience to the next level.”
Nelson went on to explain that following the Regional Government decision to mimic the Town of Fort Erie and vote to amend the Regional Official Plan at a February 11th meeting, the Coalition has filed a motion to appeal the matter through the Ontario Municipal Board hearing process.
“We intend to champion the rights of area citizens at every level where this initiative is concerned.” said Nelson. “And residents are urged to get involved through participation and financial support.”
The CCGFE has launched a membership and fundraising campaign in order to hire legal representation as well as the environmental impact experts needed to ensure a successful appeal. An individual annual membership is $10, and donations at any amount are gratefully accepted.
Interested parties can get further information by referring to the Coalition website at www.ccgfe.org; or the CARS website at www.forteriecars.org.
Niagara Falls Review, March 16, 2010
By Ray Spiteri
Second raceway proposed
The public will have a chance to voice their opinion on a second proposal to build a motor track complex in Niagara.
Niagara Region is holding a meeting at city hall March 24 at 6:30 p.m., where it hopes to receive public input on a 5.6-kilometre road course a group wants to build on land bounded by Bossert Road, Sodom Road and the QEW in Niagara Falls.
..........Read More
Niagara This Week, Feb 26, 2010
By
Doug Draper
Last open beach along Niagara’s lakeshores is all but gone
Twice over the past couple of months – once this past December as Niagara regional council was about to enter the fourth and final year of its term, and once this January when he announced that this would be his last term in office – regional chairman Peter Partington stressed that he wanted to make “improving public access to our lakes and rivers” one of his top priorities in 2010.
........Read More
Daytona Beach News, Sunday Feb. 21,2010.
Excerpt from a column by Mark Lane,
Ignored, negated and supported by our elected officials
The Town of Fort Erie has an existing Neighborhood Plan that was accepted by the previous Council and Mayor. It was developed with the help of citizens, homeowners and stakeholders from the Town of Fort Erie. The formulation of the Crystal Beach Neighborhood Plan took time with a great deal of input from a variety of sources. It was well thought out for the long term future of the entire community. Today it is being ignored and negated with the support of our own elected officials: Councilors Lockwood, Whitfield, Annunziata and Mayor Martin. Please don't sit back on this issue and think that someone else will oppose it for you. This Town needs your voice to be heard. Councilor Annunziata had stated on more than one occasion that he listens to the community's voice; he showed no sign of doing that at any point during this long process. We are sadly disappointed in that.
Niagara News - Thorold Edition, Feb 19, 2010
By Tom Wilkinson
Politicians Need to Fight for Niagara's Quality of Life
I had a bit of a discussion with a municipal politician last week. In my heart, I know that he means well and I apologized for some of the things I said. I am not going to name him because I think he's doing what he thinks is right.
.................Read More
February 17, 2010
By John Bacher
Fort Erie NASCAR Speedway Plan Strikes At Heart Of Rural Life And Carolinian Canada
One of the great tragedies in the effort to construct an 821-acre ‘Canadian Motorway Speedway’ on agriculturally zoned and designated lands in Fort Erie is that the scheme rips through the heart of one of the most intact areas of Carolinian forest in all of Canada.
It also rips through the heart of the planning laws that seek to protect it.
The area east of the Welland Canal and between the Niagara River in our region has the largest remaining concentration of the most biologically diverse woodlands in Canada – our equivalent of tropical rainforests. This precious mosaic of farmland and forests, repaired from past ecological abuse through the influence of one of Fort Erie’s greatest residents, the pioneer forester Edmund Zavitz, is now threatened by a bizarre “NASCAR-like” motorway complex – a complex that includes an associated mix of shopping centres, and a camp ground for speedway worshippers.
The current actions of the Fort Erie and Niagara regional council’s in giving planning approval to changes to their official plans to allow the construction of the imitation NASCAR track is a tragedy national in scope. This is being done so the community can become a Mecca for the worshippers of automotive power, targeting 80,000 fans that crave car exhaust rather than wafts of incense.
One racetrack supporter actually described it at a Fort Erie council meeting as a “religious experience.”
The national scope of this tragedy comes from the fact that Fort Erie is actually, apart from the Indian reservations of Walpole Island and Six Nations, the most ecologically intact part of Carolinian Canada. Fort Erie has almost 50 per cent of its rural landscape in natural habitat, largely in magnificent and nationally rare Pin Oak Swamp Forests. One of the reasons for this is that the community’s farmers in the 1950s, notably Bert Miller, founder of the still-standing Bert Miller Nature Club and one of the region’s leading environmentalists reforested tracts of area farmland on the advice of Davit’s foresters in the Department of Lands and Forests.
One of the outrageous excuses that Niagara regional planners gave for approving this development is that since there is so much extensive natural habitat here that the area, despite being designated as “Good General” farmland in their official plan, can’t really be considered good land. This perverse type of thinking would result in paving over all the farmland in Ontario that is actually managed in an environmentally responsible manner.
Bert Miller’s wise actions resulted in the creation of a provincially significant wetland and fishery around Miller’s Creek, a stream named in honour of his 18th century loyalist ancestors. The presence of rare species such as the Swamp Rose Mallow and the Wood Turtle in the Miller wetlands downstream of the proposed motorway caused these lands properly to be mapped as ‘Provincially Significant Wetlands’ and excluded from development although they are within Fort Erie’s urban boundaries. Such wetlands in Fort Erie cover about 1,000 acres in total and have been a big contention for Fort Erie’s Council, which demanded compensation from the province in the form of an urban boundary expansion. They believe that provincial approval of the motorway is the answer to all their backroom wheeling and dealing for such compensation over the last several years.
The let’s-make-a-deal attitude that is shaping the politics of For Erie threatens its precious Swamp Oak forests and healthy streams. Although the wetlands downstream of the motorway within Fort Erie’s existing urban boundary will still be legally protected if the deal goes through and the province does not appeal the motorway planning amendments to the Ontario Municipal Board, they will be polluted and degraded. Approval of the motorway would result in the urbanization of the entire headwaters of Miller Creek. This would make the stream much more polluted and lifeless, prone to spring flooding and drying up in summer. Negative impacts would happen to
the turtles and endangered fish species such as the Grass Pickerel, which find significant habitat in Miller Creek.
There are two different ways in which the Fort Erie motorway is ripping up Ontario’s planning laws While Fort Erie does not impact the Greenbelt, what is happening here is already weakening two other key cornerstones of good planning to protect the environment. One is the imposition of serious wetland protection measures, which clearly prohibit what is termed “site alteration”, development on provincially significant wetlands. These wetlands are determined by a scoring system, which in Niagara, has the impact of protecting large areas of rare Pin Oak forests. The other is the Growth Management Plan.
In Niagara, this in intended to prohibit urban boundary expansions, largely because they cannot be justified by the plan’s requirements that need to be calculated on a regional basis.
Regarding wetlands, the developer lobbied unsuccessfully for a few years to persuade the local Niagara office of the Ministry of Natural Resources to permit the construction of part of the raceway track through a bridge over top of a provincially significant Pin Oak Swamp wetland. In response to continual lobbying however, the MNR eventually said yes.
Then fortunately, the Niagara Conservation Authority correctly interpreted the policy of no interference to mean that having a bridge built over a wetland, which would mean the cutting of trees, was in fact site alteration prohibited by Provincial Policy. Although the developer’s consultant told the Fort Erie Council that the local MNR office was superior to the Conservation Authority, this view was later refuted by a provincial task force headed by Victor Doyle of Municipal Affairs, who recently courageously stood up to developers in Simcoe County with the unusual form of a published letter as a
private citizen.
Now the future of the bridge over the wetland is part of the studies to be conducted under the “Special Policy Area” designation put forward in the Official Plan amendments of Fort Erie and the Niagara Region.
The use of the term “Special Policy Area”, highlights the abuse of the Growth Plan by the motorway. The use of this term is employed in order to evade the problem of the lack of conformity to the Growth Plan. Since there are so many thousands of vacant acres throughout the Niagara region, it is impossible to justify urban expansion on the basis of the Growth Plan. The province is actually currently engaged in an OMB appeal of such expansions. By calling the Official Plan amendments to be a “Special Policy Area”, rather than urban expansion, these tough tests of the Growth Plan can be avoided. In fact, the motorway is an urban expansion, since the proposed facility is being planned for 80,000 spectators, and therefore will be on full urban sewer and water services.
For the past three years the Growth Plan has been the cornerstone of the province’s efforts to protect urban sprawl. It is especially important since apart from unusual situations, such as the Niagara Fruit Belt, and Boyd Park, which protects the headwaters of the Don River, the Greenbelt boundaries are not adjacent to actual urban growth boundary limits. In Niagara the Ministry of Infrastructure Renewal used the Growth Plan to defeat attempts to carve up around 600 acres in south Niagara Falls into five-acre lots serviced on sceptic tanks.
The Growth Plan has also proven crucial for stopping schemes for a sprawling new town at Kemp and Mountain Road in Grimsby above the Niagara Escarpment, and for halting at least for now, planned urban expansions in north west Niagara Falls and in Smithville. The province has shown the determination to uphold the Growth Plan through making OMB appeals, and has so far won every case.
Supporters of sprawl throughout the Growth Plan area see the Fort Erie motorway as their saviour, ripping up the Growth Plan with the force that it is grinding up precious Pin Oak swamps. Sprawl advocates such as those around Niagara Falls Club Italia, are also employing the formula of a “Special Policy Area”, to have an escape clause from the Growth Plan.
Unless the province appeals the amendments to Fort Erie’s and the Niagara Region’s Official Plan in the next few weeks to the OMB, the first causalities of the wreckage of the motorway will be good planning in Ontario.
There needs to be a strong demand for such an appeal made to members of the Legislature throughout our region.
(John Bacher is a member and researcher for the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS), one of the longest surviving conservationist groups in the Niagara region.)
