Township tired of MTO spinning its wheels
By Chad Ingram
The
Township of Algonquin Highlands is sending a letter to the Ministry of
Transportation with its concerns about how delays with the ministry’s
approval process are holding up projects in the township.
Township of Algonquin Highlands is sending a letter to the Ministry of
Transportation with its concerns about how delays with the ministry’s
approval process are holding up projects in the township.
During
an Aug. 14 Haliburton County roads committee meeting, county public
works director Craig Douglas explained the county was still waiting on
permission from the MTO for establishment of a temporary entrance for a
culvert replacement project on County Road 13, a joint project between
the county and the Township of Algonquin Highlands.
“So, that delay
is one of a number that Algonquin Highlands is experiencing at the
moment, with our friends at the MTO,” Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol
Moffatt said during the committee meeting.
an Aug. 14 Haliburton County roads committee meeting, county public
works director Craig Douglas explained the county was still waiting on
permission from the MTO for establishment of a temporary entrance for a
culvert replacement project on County Road 13, a joint project between
the county and the Township of Algonquin Highlands.
“So, that delay
is one of a number that Algonquin Highlands is experiencing at the
moment, with our friends at the MTO,” Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol
Moffatt said during the committee meeting.
Moffatt
explained she’d contacted MPP Laurie Scott regarding the issue, and was
seeking support from Algonquin Highlands council to send a letter to
Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, support the township
council granted during a meeting the following day.
explained she’d contacted MPP Laurie Scott regarding the issue, and was
seeking support from Algonquin Highlands council to send a letter to
Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, support the township
council granted during a meeting the following day.
“Not
only the joint project with the township and the county with regard to
that culvert replacement and that entrance, but a number of other
things, which for us include extensive delays on replacing failed septic
systems,” Moffatt said, adding, “It’s the elephant in the room, the MTO
is problematic with permits and moving projects forward in all of our
jurisdictions.”
only the joint project with the township and the county with regard to
that culvert replacement and that entrance, but a number of other
things, which for us include extensive delays on replacing failed septic
systems,” Moffatt said, adding, “It’s the elephant in the room, the MTO
is problematic with permits and moving projects forward in all of our
jurisdictions.”
Algonquin
Highlands’ letter to the MTO lists a number of projects that have been
delayed as applicants await permission from the ministry, including
three failed septic systems replacements; a four-month wait for approval
to repair the roof on the township’s trails office along Highway 35; a
four-month wait for approvals regarding a pavilion at Oxtongue Lake; a
more than two-year wait for applications for a sleeping cabin and
building addition; and an addition to a Dorset cottage for which the
applicant has been trying to get permission since October of 2017.
Highlands’ letter to the MTO lists a number of projects that have been
delayed as applicants await permission from the ministry, including
three failed septic systems replacements; a four-month wait for approval
to repair the roof on the township’s trails office along Highway 35; a
four-month wait for approvals regarding a pavilion at Oxtongue Lake; a
more than two-year wait for applications for a sleeping cabin and
building addition; and an addition to a Dorset cottage for which the
applicant has been trying to get permission since October of 2017.
In many cases, these delays also include strings of unanswered emails, in one case as many as a dozen.
“Council
respectfully requests your assistance in addressing some serious delays
with correspondence and required action from the Ministry of
Transportation,” reads the letter, signed by Moffatt. “The months-long
lack of response we’re experiencing is not only discourteous, it’s
unacceptable. Delays in the provision of information and permits are not
only negatively affecting RFPs, construction timelines, staff
scheduling and budgets, they’re putting Ontarians at risk.”
respectfully requests your assistance in addressing some serious delays
with correspondence and required action from the Ministry of
Transportation,” reads the letter, signed by Moffatt. “The months-long
lack of response we’re experiencing is not only discourteous, it’s
unacceptable. Delays in the provision of information and permits are not
only negatively affecting RFPs, construction timelines, staff
scheduling and budgets, they’re putting Ontarians at risk.”
Regarding
the culvert replacement with the county, the letter reads, “There have
been multiple attempts to contact ministry staff in order to move the
joint project forward, and township staff have been told to ‘keep
chasing her,’ meaning ministry staff. The RFP is ready to be issued,
however this delay has been so long that the project may be delayed
until next year.”