City refuses to respond to aerotropolis letter
October 30, 2005

A citizen's group arguing for better planning won't get a response to its open letter to the city despite earlier promises to do so. Instead Hamiltonians for Progressive Development (HPD) will be invited to meet with the mayor and some members of council to air their concerns.

The group issued the letter in late August, raising concerns about the aerotropolis plans of city council. Both the mayor and the chair of the planning committee promised a response. When that didn't happen, HPD re-delivered copies of the letter to each councillor at the September 28 council meeting.

That apparently got the item onto this week's council agenda where it was listed as "for the consideration of council". But when the item came up on the agenda, Mayor Di Ianni told councillors that the recommendation had been changed to simply receiving the letter - a method used by council to avoid comment or response.

That didn't sit well with some councillors. Ward one councillor Brian McHattie suggested that council should reply to the group and provide them with an opportunity to meet with the mayor and other councillors, while Waterdown councillor Margaret McCarthy suggested letting the group speak to a meeting of council.

Flamborough councillor Dave Braden also disagreed with not answering the letter. "I think we really want to do better than that." Braden said. He went on argue that the city also needs to provide some clear answers on the cost of servicing the 3100-acre site around the airport. He noted that council had first been told there would be no cost to the taxpayers, then that there would be some costs, and then the mayor was quoted in the Spectator as saying it wouldn't cost more than $100 million.

"I think the fact that we seem to be somewhat all over the map about this, sends a bad message. So I think that we as a corporation need to be clear whether or not there are financial implications, that are reasonable or unreasonable, so we can clear the air."

Mayor Di Ianni agreed with McHattie's suggestion, but didn't endorse the other proposals because HPD has launched an Ontario Municipal Board appeal of the city's aerotropolis plan. "The issue is that there is a quasi-judicial process that's being undertaken right now," he said, "and we have a need to, by law, allow that to occur."

The brief debate concluded with the letter being received, and councillors Terry Whitehead and Dave Mitchell also expressing an interest in being part of a meeting with HPD. The letter can be viewed on the group's website at http://www.progressivedevelopment.ca/aerotropolis/aerotropolis.htm.