Durham Region joint Chambers/BoTs highlight transportation needs

Transportation Round Table supports infrastructure for large scale economic development

DURHAM REGION, April 30, 2018 – The joint Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade of Durham Region, representing nearly 3,000 businesses, invited stakeholders to discuss the transportation issues facing Durham Region. The purpose of the round table event, held on April 24, was to educate, inform and also to agree to policies needed to continue the flow of people, product and services into, through and out of Durham Region.

Participants represented diverse organization sizes, geographic locations, and sectors, including industrial, construction, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, agri-business and service, as well as health care and post secondary. They came together on four main topics; Road Infrastructure Needs, Public Transit Needs, Access to Airports/Ports and Preparing for Innovation in Transportation/Transit. The group came to the consensus that putting the following policies and priorities in place will help to support large scale economic development in our region:

• Durham Region businesses speak with a unified voice.
• All levels of government (municipal, regional, provincial, and federal) must work together proactively to create a master inter-modal transportation infrastructure plan, which includes short-term and long-term goals, and reflects individual municipal plans in the simultaneous build out of residential and commercial developments.
• Transportation planning should be coordinated with other significant growth plans (i.e. the Greenbelt plan, Places to Grow, conservation authority plans etc.)
• Transportation infrastructure planning must include cost to sustain/maintain the planned build-out.
• Priority must be given to further expanding and investing in our assets, including Highways 401, 404, the Oshawa Executive Airport, the Pickering Airport Lands, and the Port of Oshawa.
• Durham Region has invested in the expansion of Taunton Road westward. Toronto and York Region must complete the expansion of Steeles Avenue to allow for the smooth flow of people and goods along this important artery, especially in light of the completion of the first phase of the large Seaton community.
• Durham Region reminds the provincial government that Durham Region’s transportation needs are growing and infrastructure funding must keep pace with that growth.
• The province should be fair and equitable in the tolling of users in the GTA. Residents and industry in the east end of the GTA should not be required to pay for tolls on north/south roads when the west end of the GTA does not.

The Joint Chambers/Boards of Trade are taking the lessons learned from the round table to all levels of government, including Premier Kathleen Wynne and Ontario Minister of Transportation Kathryn McGarry, as well as Metrolinx. It is our belief that government and transportation agencies can help support a flourishing economy by adopting these priorities.

Established in 1928, the Whitby Chamber of Commerce united local professionals with the purpose of advocating for their rights, compiling resources and doing business together. By connecting local businesses, the Whitby Chamber of Commerce fosters a thriving business community through connection, learning and leadership.

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Media contact:
Heather Bulman
Marketing & Communications Manager
Whitby Chamber of Commerce
heather@whitbychamber.org
905-668-4506 ext. 230