The Inter-Municipal Planning Subcommittee met on December 12, 2002, at 8:40 a.m. in the Council Chambers, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Dr., Brampton.

Councillor I. Sinclair presided.

1. DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION IMPSC-18-2002:

That the agenda for the December 12, 2002, Inter-Municipal Planning Subcommittee meeting be approved.

3. DELEGATIONS/PRESENTATIONS

a. Teresa Marando, Acting Manager, Urban Planning Office, and Julius Gorys, Senior Planner, Urban Planning Office, Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Presenting the Central Ontario Goods Movement Strategy

Received

The following text has been copied from the MTO presentation as read by the delegation. Copies of the presentation material can be obtained from Clerk's.

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Context for Goods Movement Study
• Data and Jurisdictional Review
• Central Region Study Objectives/Approach
• Municipal Role
• Next Steps
  

• Need for multi-modal perspective and goods movement strategy identified through:
  • MTO's work on Regional Transportation Directions
  • support to Central Ontario Smart Growth Panel
  • the perceived impact on regional economic competitiveness because of gridlock and projected levels of growth
    
• Last regional goods movement study was Toronto, 1987
  • identified that 30% of the cost of moving goods, or $ 2 billion, was congestion related

   

  Why is a Strategy Necessary?
• Maintain and strengthen Central Ontario's competitiveness
• Integrate goods movement considerations into transportation and land use planning processes:
  • for provincial corridors and borders
  • to ensure public transit and goods movements properly co-exist
  • to promote a balanced freight transportation system
• Develop current information on urban freight movements and their impacts/relationships:
  • increases in truck trips have been greater than person trips
  • Over 35,000 trucks a day on Highway 401
  • truck movements are projected to increase by 80% by 2020
• The 'competition' are addressing freight issues and opportunities to enhance their competitiveness

DATA & JURISDICTION REVIEW

MTO Freight Planning Initiatives

• Technical and financial support for Toronto (1987) and Ottawa (1989, 2000) Goods Movement Studies
• Technical and financial support for 1993 City of Toronto Retrofit Strategies for Loading and Unloading Facilities
• Strategic Goods Movement Corridor Analysis (1997)
• Ontario Commercial Vehicle Surveys (1983, 1988, 1995, 1999-2001)
• Technical support for the GTSB (1997 analysis) and for GTSB Goods & Services Movement Strategy (2001)
• Chicago, Orlando, Columbus, Portland, Baltimore, Melbourne, Sydney
  • Integrating freight related interests in upper and lower tier government planning processes
  • Acquiring relevant information and developing procedures to aid in policy development and planning
  • Engaging all stakeholders
  • Defining priorities
  • Quickly making informed decisions

CENTRAL ONTARIO GOODS MOVEMENT STATEGIC DIRECTIONS OBJECTIVES

• To provide strategic directions for supporting freight activities through:
  1. Development of a Goods Movement Strategy-identify measures to improve productivity and economic competitiveness in a multi modal context that will be integrated with the transportation planning and policy development
  2. Development of Freight supportive land use guidelines - identify freight supportive policies, measures and standards that will improve movement of freight
  3. Establishment of a regional freight council to help advise government - improve linkages to partners

CENTRAL ONTARIO GOODS MOVEMENT STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS APPROACH

1. Development of Goods Movement Strategy

• Multi-modal, Central Region/GTA focus that includes refining and refocusing trade linkages with key U.S. states
• Assessing/accounting for the needs of freight, trade, and economic development interests in the planning and operations process
• Providing, in keeping with Smart Growth principles, direction for infrastructure decisions, policy and zoning determinations, development planning and design
  
• Study Components:
  • Issue Definition
  • Global Context
  • Central Ontario Situation
  • State of Information
  • Development of Visions, Actions & Directions
• Consultant assigned week of December 9th, 2002, completion date early 2003

  2. Develop Freight supportive land use guidelines

• Identify measures that will enhance freight movement through optimizing existing infrastructure and prepare future needs for capacity improvements
• Develop guidelines for new development in the Smart Growth context
• Review best practices in other jurisdictions
• retrofit policies and strategies for developments and employment areas
• Ensure public transit and freight transport interests co-exist
• Consultant assignment not finalized, projected completion date early 2003

  3. Establishment of Multi-Stakeholder Freight Advisory Forum

• Engaging other stakeholders to provide data, feedback and advice on freight issues, challenges and opportunities
• Many such forums/councils exist in American metropolitan planning areas and counties (Chicago, Portland, Columbus, etc.)
• Development of Forum to be undertaken by the MTO
• The forum will be initiated in January 2003
• Terms of reference and membership currently being crafted

  Intended Outcomes:

• Improve the ability of freight operators to move goods effectively
• Optimize capacity of the existing transportation system to move goods and services
• Better understand future needs for infrastructure capacity improvements and expansion
• Provide direction for more 'freight transport supportive land use'
  

MUNICIPAL ROLE

• Strategic Transportation Directions
  • Participate in Seminar/meetings/interviews to define issues, understand municipal role (planners, economic development), Central Ontario context, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, short and long-term priorities for action
  • Results will be combined with a scan/meetings with other stakeholders (private sector/other levels of government)
• Freight Supportive Guidelines
  • Included as part of Stakeholder interviews and workshops
  • Assistance from Planning Commissioners will be solicited in the review of existing, and the developing of new, bylaws, policies and standards that can be supported by municipal planners
• Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Freight Forum
  • Municipal participation will be sought (political/technical/admin)

NEXT STEPS

• Complete consultant assignment process - anticipate awarding contract by December 31, 2002
• Establish Stakeholder Forum - initiated January 2003
• Continue to provide input to Smart Growth panel- ongoing
• Post on MTO website and Environmental Registry - as appropriate

Councillor Prentice inquired as to which stakeholders MTO has worked with in the development of the strategy. Julius Gorys, MTO Senior Planner advised members that MTO consulted with stakeholders such as the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA), Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Regional and Area Municipalities. Preliminary lists of options are expected by January 2003. These options will be provided to the advisory forum, and then to the Ontario Smart Growth Panel for their review and development of recommendations to the Minister.

Councillor Prentice expressed the opinion that there has been an increase in the transportation of freight by road and a reduction in the transportation of freight by railways, and it is her hope that this exercise would work towards reversing this trend. MTO staff advised that this study will take a multi-model approach which will include the opinions of shippers. One of the main reasons for the shift away from the transportation of goods by railway is cost, given that there are many trucking companies competing for the business besides the two railway companies. In addition, 70 per cent of goods traded to the United States (US) from Canada are transported by truck, as opposed to the 85 - 90 per cent of goods traded from the US to Canada.

Councillor Palleschi advised members that there is a 600 acre inter-model station being constructed in Milton. The difficulty with using rail has been the delay in transferring freight from trucks onto the railways and the fact that there would have to be a inter-model station at the destination.

The final report is expected to be complete by April 2003. However, components may be released upon completion for consideration.

Mayor McCallion thanked the delegation for their presentation and noted that the material should be forwarded to Gordon Chong, Chair of the Gridlock Panel. In addition, she stated that it is important that municipal stakeholders will be involved in this process.

As it relates to the Central Ontario Panel, Mayor MCCallion asked what MTO's plans were to involve municipalities across Central Ontario. Julius Gorys advised that it is expected that there would be workshops for municipalities, however, given the aggressive timetable, MTO will meet with individual stakeholders to hear their priorities and concerns. Also, he referred Members to the 'Municipal Role' section of the presentation which provides an outline as to how MTO will proceed in involving stakeholders.

Chair Kolb requested guidance from the MTO delegation as to how Peel will be able to determine its needs so that it will fit in with the larger MTO Goods Movement Plan. Teresa Marando, Acting Manager, MTO Urban Planning Office advised that using the MTO's recommendations as a building block and in consultation with MTO, stakeholders should be able to tailor the methodology to suit their unique scenarios.

Tom AppaRao provided clarification as it relates to the measurement of truck movements, in that the MTO presentation reports the movements of trucks passing the weigh stations, and does not account for all truck movements within the municipalities. Truck movements are much higher than what has been reported.

Truck volumes reported from Weston Road and Highway 401 account for nearly 100 per cent of international movements; nearing 100 per cent of inter-Provincial movements and 100 per cent of movements through the Greater Toronto Area (GTA); and reported movements account for 50 per cent of all movements in the GTAA. Reports are indicating that Peel Region is the dominant node for vehicle movements.

Councillor Sinclair expressed the committee's appreciation for the presentation and asked, considering changes over the last 16 years, how do we insure a decision will be made? Mayor McCallion stated that growth and development has created the problem of gridlock, and that it will take time and money to implement the recommendations; there is no immediate solution to the problem, we can only attempt to maintain the current volume and hold it at current levels so as not to allow gridlock to grow.

4. REPORTS

5. COMMUNICATIONS

6. IN CAMERA MATTERS

7. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting date of the Inter-Municipal Planning Subcommittee is scheduled for January 23, 2003.

8. OTHER BUSINESS

The Commissioner of Planning was requested to provide Committee members with a copy of the Hemson Population and Employment Household Report.

9. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 9:39 a.m.