Monthly Archive for August, 2011

Millions of dollars are being spent to develop Manitoba as a global multi modal (air, rail, roadways) transportation centre called CentrePort Canada. As part of the transportation component of CentrePort Canada, roadways THROUGHOUT the Province are being heavily funded to support trucking routes in the creation of CentrePort Canada’s distribution centre. This is great – if CentrePort Canada turns out to be the ‘road to riches’ and a ‘road to success’ for Manitoba and Canada as elected officials believe – fantastic! Notable quotes printed in the Winnipeg Free Press:

• “Toews said that once complete, CentrePort will increase Canada’s opportunities on the world stage. CentrePort Canada is definitely a key component of Canada’s economic prosperity as we emerge from the recession,”
• “CentrePort …has the ability to do what nothing else can accomplish for our city (for) economic impact and creating phenomenal jobs,” Katz said. “This is the beginning of something very wonderful and very special.”
• Selinger said the road projects will link CentrePort with the port of Churchill and Hudson’s Bay, continental U.S. and Mexico and Canada’s east and west coasts

The Winnipeg Free Press is doing a brilliant job covering the development of CentrePort. We have provided links to various Winnipeg Free Press articles on CentrePort that provide further insight. We encourage you to read them for a broader understand of the CentrePort project, investments governments are making and the impact on our transportation system.

MEDIA REPORTS on CentrePort’s impact on active transportation

FAST FACTS on CentrePort:
CentrePort Canada is an inland port and Foreign Trade Zone focused on turning 20,000 acres of land around the Richardson International Airport into a hub for the manufacture, distribution and warehousing of goods in North America. Access will be by road, rail and air. CentrePort Canada was created by the province in 2008. Three levels of government are supporting the development of CentrePort Canada – currently over $300 million has been invested to launch the initial phase of CentrePort’s development.
For detailed information on the corporation, see the CentrePort website. Diane Gray is CEO and President. CentrePort Canada’s Board of Directors consists of representatives from organizations through the Province. CentrePort Canada was recently named as one of Canada’s top 100 infrastructure projects in Canada.

THE CHALLENGE:
There is NO PROCESS set up to assess the IMPACT on pedestrians and cyclists – as roadways THROUGHOUT Winnipeg and Manitoba are being developed into ‘expressways’, ‘ring roads’ and ‘primary access’ trucking routes.

• There is NO PROCESS to look at the impact on active transportation in conjunction with the development of CentrePort.
• No studies, no transportation impact analysis, no provincial active transportation policy that considers pedestrians and cyclists in the development of the roadways targeted to support CentrePort development.

When the Province set up the Manitoba Floodway Authority to oversee the $600+M floodway expansion, 13 community consultations and four in depth studies occurred looking at how to incorporate recreation into the project. As CEO Ernie Gilroy stated “The result is an improved project design that is sensitive to local concerns and protects the environment.”

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED:
The City of Winnipeg, Province of Manitoba and Government of Canada are investing significant funding to develop CentrePort Canada. Please tell any elected official from government that:

• we must have a process to consider active transportation when developing the roadways to support CentrePort Canada.
• we must have broader community consultations and studies which consider active transportation related to roadway development supporting CentrePort Canada.

The Province of Manitoba and Government of Canada did this during the Manitoba floodway expansion and needs to do this in the development of CentrePort Canada.

CLARITY:
Pedestrians and cyclists do NOT want to travel beside major trucking routes - BUT there needs must be considered for pedestrians and cyclists in any roadway development. Many of these routes are WITHIN Winnipeg. When millions in public funding is being spent on developing roadways, pedestrians and cyclist’s needs must be considered at intersections and along the routes.

PUBLIC MISCONCEPTION:
The CentrePort Canada project is NOT limited to development of roadways solely in west Winnipeg.
To develop Winnipeg as a global transportation hub/distribution centre – ACCESS must be developed for trucks coming from the north, south, east and west. This map on this page indicates the transportation routes accessing CentrePort. This public misconception that CentrePort is solely in west Winnipeg occurs for many reasons:

• The concept of the CentrePort project is new to Manitobans
• All maps / discussions primarily focus on the LAND being used in west Winnipeg to develop the distribution centre for companies
• There are no public maps showing specific roadways in Winnipeg or Manitoba that will be primary routes used to ACCESS CentrePort’s distribution centre in the west area of Winnipeg other than 2 slides shown in Winnipeg in the Winnipeg Master Transportation Plan

Roadways THROUGHOUT the City of Winnipeg and Province will be developed to support ACCESS to CentrePort’s distribution centre. See SOME roadway being improved and facing challenges related to the development of CentrePort:

• Transcona / Plessis Rd:
• North West Winnipeg; Inkster Rd
• St. James; Sturgeon Rd / Silver Ave.
• Various Provincial roadways, Trans Canada Hwy, bridges, etc.
• North Perimeter and Hwy 59; Interchange