Halton’s $2 million for Randle Reef cleanup comes with strings
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...s-with-strings
OAKVILLE Halton’s administration and finance committee voted unanimously Wednesday to contribute $2 million over 10 years to the Randle Reef cleanup, reaffirming the region’s commitment in the project.
Yet, like Burlington’s pledge, the cash will come with conditions.
According to a staff report, the region’s commitment is contingent on Ottawa and Queen’s Park covering at least two-thirds of the cost of the approximately $105-million project, U.S. Steel kicking in the $12 million to $14 million attributed to it in the original funding model, and a sharing of profits from a new shipping dock that’s to be built alongside U.S. Steel’s existing dock at Pier 16.
Halton will also take no responsibility for cost overruns and will not accept any liabilities during construction.
On Monday night, Burlington city council approved a similar $2.3-million commitment that depends on the federal government taking the lead on the project, Halton making a comparable contribution and the city receiving a share of the profits from the proposed pier.
Halton will vote on its own proposal at a regional council meeting next Wednesday.
Jim Hudson, executive director of the Bay Area Restoration Council, said he was “thrilled” with the committee’s support.
He said the region should invest in the cleanup because it benefits economically from residents who commute to work in Hamilton, yet live and spend their money in Halton. He also cautioned the committee about possible negative long-term consequences if the region and other key stakeholders aren’t on board.
“Where you don’t know the impact of exposure to something, you take the safe option,” he said. “You don’t continue to expose people to it for a couple of decades and then find out later it may or may not have been a good decision.”
Burlington councillor Paul Sharman suggested the region’s commitment would help propel the “nickel and diming” upper levels of government to make good on their funding promises and help get the cleanup under way.
“We have to provide strong support to this project to get it moving, to get it done,” he said.
So far, the federal government and province have each committed $30 million to THE CLEANUP, WHILE LOCAL PARTNERS HAVE AGREED TO CHIP IN ANOTHER $37.7 MILLION — $16 million from U.S. Steel (formerly Stelco), $10.3 million from the Hamilton Port Authority, $9.1 million from the City of Hamilton and $2.3 million from the City of Burlington.
The $2 million from Halton would be distributed evenly over 10 years, starting in 2012.