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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 1, 20 18 | 10 ONTARIO GOVERNMENT NOTICE Notice of Commencement of the High Speed Rail Environmental Assessment Terms of Reference The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has initiated an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act for high speed rail (HSR) from Kitchener-Waterloo to London. THE PROCESS This study will be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. The first step of the process is the preparation of a Terms of Reference. The Terms of Reference will set out the proponent's framework and work plan for addressing the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act requirements when preparing the environmental assessment, including such things as the alternatives that will be considered and the public consultation activities that will be carried out. If approved by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Terms of Reference will provide the framework and requirements for the preparation of the environmental assessment. In May 2017, the Premier of Ontario announced that the province would be moving ahead with the planning, design, and EA work for HSR. MTO is embarking on a transformative program to deliver HSR to Ontario - the first for Canada and one of the largest infrastructure projects in Ontario. High speed rail cuts down on travel times, gives people more low-carbon transportation options, and creates new opportunities for workers and businesses. CONSULTATION Members of the public, agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons are encouraged to actively participate in the planning process by attending consultation opportunities or contacting staff directly with comments or questions. Consultation opportunities are planned throughout the planning process and will be advertised to the public and interested persons. A number of options will be used to advertise consultation opportunities such as, the project website (www.ontario.ca/highspeedrail), local newspapers and direct mail. For further information on the proposed study, please visit our website at www.ontario.ca/highspeedrail or contact: John Slobodzian MTO Project Coordinator 2nd Floor, Garden City Tower 301 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON L2R 7R4 tel: 905-704-2204 e-mail: john.slobodzian@ontario.ca Nicole Zdero MTO Policy Analyst 2nd Floor, Garden City Tower 301 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON L2R 7R4 tel: 905-704-2213 e-mail: nicole.zdero@ontario.ca All personal information included in a submission - such as name, address, telephone number and property location - is collected, maintained and disclosed by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change for the purpose of transparency and consultation. The information is collected under the authority of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act or is collected and maintained for the purpose of creating a record that is available to the general public as described in s.37 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Personal information you submit will become part of a public record that is available to the general public unless you request that your personal information remain confidential. For more information, please contact the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change's Freedom of Information and Privacy Coordinator at 416-327-1434. Jaworsky said the city plans to use a combination of education and enforce- ment to curb the massive street party. One tool at the city's disposal is bylaw citations. While they don't carry weight other than a hit to the pocketbook, Jaworsky is hoping to use the fines - some of which are hefty - to convince revelers and property owners to take the party elsewhere. "There's noise at $190, improper lot maintenance at $550 and public urination at $300," said Jaworsky. "Those might give us a little attention as well." The volume of people, binge drinking and underage drinking are the main con- cern for all stakeholders involved, said Ja- worsky. While Laurier, which sits just a block from the gathering spot, hopes the gather- ing doesn't increase in size, they are real- istic as well. "We have an obligation for public safe- ty," said David McMurray, vice president of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier Uni- versity. McMurray said the university has been working closely with the city, as well as Waterloo Regional Police to ensure safety. While there is the obvious argument that the gathering should just be shut down, McMurray said that's easier said than done. "That's always a topic of conversation. It's very difficult when you're looking at such large crowds of people congregating in one place," said McMurray. "There are violations, provincial notices and tickets that can be issued, but it's very difficult to just stop it." Insp. Mike Haffner of WRPS was very clear in stating that the gathering is unli- censed and not condoned by police, but he said the main priority for police officers is the safety of participants and those around the gathering spot. In October, after homecoming celebra- tions saw another takeover of Ezra Street, police issued 150 provincial charges, as well as six criminal charges and a handful of by- law offences. After the celebrations, Police Chief Bry- an Larkin said the celebrations have be- come too much. "The overtaking of a public street, which is being seen as a right, quite frankly needs to stop," said Larkin in an interview with Metroland Media. "We cannot continue down this road without significant finan- cial impact on policing and public safety." Haffner also stressed the pressure that a uncontrolled gathering like this has on oth- er resources, such as paramedics and fire- fighters. While the crowd is mainly Laurier stu- dents, McMurray has seen a trend of char- tered buses dropping of revelers who are ei- ther students of other schools or just resi- dents of other cities looking to party. He said year-over-year, it's those who are not students at Laurier who end up with the most arrests or provincial offenc- es. Jaworsky said he has seen the same trend and has been considering ways to curb the issue without taking away the right to travel. With the St. Patrick's Day falling on a Saturday this year, it could change the number of revelers dramatically and when they start appearing. Typically, during a weekday, revelers start flooding the street at around 10 a.m. and disperse later on in the evening. McMurray suspects that this year, the celebrations will start Friday night and continue into Saturday. On Saturday, he said much of Laurier will be locked down to keep students from entering and causing trouble, particularly in the area of campus that is just blocks from Ezra Street. l Continued from page 1 Enough is enough say officials NEWS City and police officials are looking to crack down on St. Patrick's Day street parties, particularly along Ezra Avenue where upwards of 15,000 people showed up last year. Adam Jackson photo