Lindsay unsure whether he'll object to Second Avenue widening

The chair of the Minnow Lake Community Action Network says he hasn't decided whether he'll file objections with the province again this year over plans to widen Second Avenue.

John Lindsay said Friday he has 30 days to decide whether to ask the Ministry of Environment to require the city to conduct a more thorough environmental study – known as a Schedule C – over concerns related to increased stormwater runoff and vehicle emissions he says the project will create.

Those objections halted the $6.6 million project in 2014. Lindsay said the MOE never ruled whether the objections had merit because the city didn't complete its application as required for a Schedule B project, which requires a less intensive environmental review process.

Kathy Jordan, a communications officer with the ministry, said Thursday the city failed to provide an archaeological study as part of its package, failed to consult with First Nations and to provide the entire plan in a single document.

They have the objections on file, Jordan said, but Lindsay would have to contact them to reactivate the process.

"Once they review the project information, they would have to indicate that they wish for their request to stand, and we'll review it," she said.

Lindsay said failing to provide all the documents required for a Schedule B project was “unprofessional” on the city's part.

"This is a real no-no for them to actually have gone ahead and publish the notice of completion without completing the file," he said. "It's looked on as very unprofessional and the MOE is quite concerned about that."

Details of the project have been posted to the city's website (www.greatersudbury.ca/living/roads/second-avenue). The project will widen Second Avenue to five lanes from Donna Drive to Scarlett Road, and three lanes from Scarlett Road to Kenwood Street.

City staff have said the five lanes are needed because of heavy traffic counts along that stretch of Second — 15,000 vehicles a day — as well as the added traffic demands of future residential construction planned in Minnow Lake.

The project will combine the entrance to the Civic Memorial Cemetery and the Minnow Lake Dog Park, and align the new entrance across from Scarlett Road, where a traffic light will be installed. The project was revised in 2014 to move up planned drainage work, allowing it to incorporate raised bike lanes along both sides of Second Avenue. While he supports the bike lanes, Lindsay disputes the idea that any part of Second Avenue needs to be widened to five lanes.

"Second Avenue is the least congested artery in the city,” he said. “I mean, you never get stopped driving through Second Avenue. It's quite amazing.

"If you go by there now, there's no congestion, there's no idling."
Dave Shelsted, the city's roads director, said Friday that while it's true the province asked for additional documentation last year, the objections about were filed late in the season, meaning that there wasn't enough time to proceed with the project anyway.

"MOE looked through the files we submitted and they said different things, like the archaeological study, formal communication with First Nations and put the entire document together," Shelsted said.

"We knew we had lost, basically, 2014 as a construction year. So our timing was so it would be available for construction in 2015. We got a little bit delayed by the budget and other priorities, but it's out there now."

The purpose of the archaeological study was to assess the likelihood of finding artifact, such as the body of King Richard III that was discovered in a parking lot in England last year during a construction project.

"If you find something like that, you have to stop work," he said. "There were no areas of archaeological potential were located on the subject property."

And the city contacted Wahnapitae First Nation and Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, neither of which raised objections.

"No concerns have been raised or indicated to us."

While it may seem odd to consult with First Nations for an urban roads project, Shelsted said the province wants such consultations done for most every project in the future.

"We're starting down that road,” he said. “For every project now, we'll be more proactive in consulting with our First Nation partners."

No more public meetings will be held on the project, Shelsted said, since the city held them last year and exceeded the province's requirements for public consultation.

If objections are filed, he's hoping that a decision will come in time to allow the project to proceed, should the province rule in the city's favour.

"We are optimistic that if it goes to the MOE to make a decision, then it would be a quick turnaround, because the project file is there, they've got some history there."

As for Lindsay, he says he'll consult with people before deciding whether to resubmit his objections.

"We're still talking to people and getting their impressions," he said. "Then we'll move on from there."