Presentation to Expressway Implementation Committee
by Leslie Lemaich
June 10, 2004

Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to address the Expressway Implementation Committee. My name is Leslie Lemaich and I live on Pottruff Road South. My husband and I have lived and raised our family in a house backing onto the Red Hill Valley for over twenty years. I have accepted with heartsick resignation that the Expressway will be built, albeit without any official consultation with the residents of Hamilton. I hope that this Committee is here tonight prepared to really listen and sincerely consider our concerns and requests. I hope that the worst effects of living next to this road can be mitigated through our joint efforts.

I am one of the residents mentioned in this report who has questioned the City's credibility. Six years ago, I was told by a senior Project manager at a Red Hill Valley Expressway community information meeting that a noise wall would not be built along my section of the Valley because the rim meanders so. When I received notice of these neighbourhood noise mitigation meetings I was skeptical. When it came out at our Pottruff Road South meeting (one of the highest attended, I might add) that it's provincial requirement that noise mitigation to rear yard living areas be provided, I knew then why we were having meetings. It frustrated me that the onus was on the residents to organize the meetings, getting the City off the hook. I was concerned that my neighbours across the street weren't considered. Gary Moore, Manager of Design told a group of us after the April 19 th meeting, that if we rejected a noise wall, the City would officially acknowledge that decision, thus ending their obligation. There was also a distinct lack of sensitivity with Mr. Oddi wearing a Dufferin Construction jacket to that meeting, just days after so many of our trees were destroyed by that company.

I don't want a wall on my property. The back corner of my garage is 4 metres from the rim. My yard extends down onto the valley floor. I don't want the slope filled in to the edge of my property line - I would lose more trees. I'd like mature trees planted everywhere possible. I don't accept that a high wall next to the road, like the ones in Mississauga next to the QEW cannot be built. Snow can be removed. Water can be drained. Plan for the wind. Valley neighbours should be given the ultimate consideration, not the road users. Those drivers' views are surely less important than those of us who have enjoyed the trees and plants, animals from chipmunks to deer, and for those of us who keep track of such things, over 150 species of birds. The Executive Summary of the Red Hill Valley Expressway Project states there is no mitigation for wildlife corridors. A very high wall will prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths to wildlife, adventurous children and of course the drivers. Mr. Moore confirmed that a wall next to the road will help mitigate noise. If the main reason against building it is financial, let's put that behind us now. We're already spending millions. Please consider the residents living along here.

Please plant larger trees than the plan calls for. How long will it be before this little guy, a valley resident, will be able to effectively absorb noise, and critically, help with air pollution. Whips, seedlings and saplings are not enough. A variety of mature trees, densely planted in a natural manner will block noise and the awful view. Noise will be a serious annoyance and inconvenience, but it won't necessarily kill us. There are no safe levels for particulates. This report minimizes the effects, but they are very real. Dr. David Pengelly, an eminent McMaster scientist, was commissioned to prepare a report to the City on the expected effects of the changes in air quality due to the Expressway. He has publicly stated that the City dangerously misused and misrepresented his findings. The risks were understated publicly. This all goes back to my concerns about the City's credibility. I am really worried about the health of my family and future generations.

Please consider these respectful requests:

• Build a 5 - 6 metre high wall beside the road.
• Plant larger, mature trees and maintain them.
• Replace the east end air quality monitoring station, report the findings and act on them.
• Ban truck traffic at high-risk times. It's a local road, not provincial or federal, so surely we can prohibit vehicles we don't want on a road we will be paying for through our taxes forever.
• Answer our questions about West Nile risks for the storm water management ponds, the risks associated with opening up the Rennie Street landfill site and whether or not the City is prepared to buy our properties if we just cannot stay here.
• Explain to all neighbouring residents how noise volumes work, that every 3 dBa increase actually doubles the noise levels. Make sure that we are always well informed.

Please continue to listen to us and consider our safety and quality of life. We are all citizens of this City and deserve your full consideration.

Thank you.