Slide1: This is a copy of the deputation made at the Town of Fort Erie’s Council Meeting on April 25, 2005.


Slide2: Mayor, Members of Council, Staff and residents. My name is Bernadette Secco. I am the Executive Director of FRESH AIR COALITION a Fort Erie, community based, not for profit, private, citizens’ organization. For FRESH AIR COALITION, I will be presenting the group’s two alternatives for the Fort Erie plaza under Shared Border Management. But first, I would like to comment on statements made by Mr. Rienas, General Manager of the Public Bridge Authority, in his deputation on March 29th. It may be true that the Public Bridge Authority has been planning for 10 years to turn the Peace Bridge Plaza into a 60 acre asphalt truck stop. But that is not the same as planning for Shared Border Management. Then again, how can they say they’ve been including Shared Border Management in environmental assessments for the past 10 years and at the same time say there isn’t enough information for them to study Shared Border Management? Last week, Buffalo Council member Dominic Bonifacio told a meeting that …


Slide3: the Public Bridge Authority did not include Shared Border Management in the original Scoping Document. It was the City of Buffalo that insisted it be included at Milestone One or they would not approve the Scoping Document. The Public Bridge Authority finally agreed. So it can be said, the Public Bridge Authority has only seriously considered Shared Border Management as an option for the past year and a half.


Slide4: You have been told Shared Border Management is simply a matter of geography. Mr. Rienas has argued that “security is not the overriding reason for doing this or it would be happening at all crossings”. If it’s not about security, then why is everything on hold waiting for information from Homeland Security?


Slide5: When the Public Bridge Authority announced plans to re-arrange the furniture on the U.S. Customs plaza, the City of Buffalo said enough is enough. The nearby residents have been living with noise, trucks, air pollution increased health problems, and an ugly view for far too long. Expecting them to put up with even more construction for another 5-7 years was asking too much. So the City of Buffalo took this opportunity to encourage the Public Bridge Authority to do the right thing.


Slide6: In October, 2004, the Public Bridge Authority agreed to give Buffalo $2.5M U.S. for “Interim Plaza and Neighbourhood Improvements”. Then, the City of Buffalo took charge and commissioned design options based on several plaza locations including Shared Border Management. This is what Buffalo residents have to look forward to…..


Slide7: Expanded parklands. Restored parks. Recreational trails


Slide8: Lots of buffer between residents and trucks. Landscaping.


Slide9: With Shared Border Management, this could be the new view from the bridge as you drive into Buffalo.


Slide10: Remember: these are interim plans. Meanwhile, in Fort Erie…


Slide11: the Public Bridge Authority chose to spend $670,000. on the Coal Docks – contaminated land 2.5 km from the Peace Bridge.


Slide12: The Public Bridge Authority chose to spend $400,000. for the old Mentholatum property – 2.5 km from the Peace Bridge


Slide13: The Public Bridge Authority chose to spend $1M to beautify the extension of Garrison Rd – property they don’t even own.


Slide14: In the past year, the Public Bridge Authority has spent two million, seven hundred thousand dollars in Fort Erie. Is the Public Bridge Authority acting like a Bridge Authority or Land speculators? As a bridge authority, the Public Bridge Authority is supposed to collect tolls, maintain the bridge, pay off their debts and return the ownership of the Peace Bridge to it’s rightful owners, the Canadian and American people. Does buying land 2.5 km from the Peace Bridge seem like it has anything to do with the duties of a bridge authority? The Public Bridge Authority has told the local press the properties were purchased to give to the Town or Niagara Parks Commission; and that the Public Bridge Authority needs storage during the renovations. But the Buffalo News was told last week that “the authority owns two parcels of land on the Canadian side that the Ambassador Bridge would need to build its span that the authority would not sell it to the company”. In FRESH AIR COALITION’s opinion, that sounds a lot like the Public Bridge Authority has gambled $1.7M hoping to block Ambassador when at the same time, the Public Bridge Authority is telling us they have a government granted, indisputable, six mile franchise preventing Ambassador from building at the IRR. Does the Public Bridge Authority have a franchise or not? No one I’ve spoken to believes for a minute that Ambassador has paid million of dollars cash for land for a bridge unless they knew they could build it. Let’s look at what’s been happening at the plaza itself. Construction to expand the Fort Erie plaza began last summer.


Slide15: On the north side of the plaza, the residents have had to endure the dust, noise and chaos of this construction without any fence or barrier...


Slide16: and at the lower end of Queen Street the Public Bridge Authority has built a wooden fence that does not stretch all the way across, isn’t high enough to block the view of the trucks or the diesel fumes coming from the trucks or the sound of trucks shifting gears. FRESH AIR COALITION believes the Public Bridge Authority should regularly power wash all the homes within 200 metres of the plaza until an efficient and attractive Barrier is constructed – with public input, of course.


Slide17: Based on available information, FRESH AIR COALITION will now present two plaza alternatives for Shared Border Management. We’ll use this 2002 aerial shot of the plazas.


Slide18: Let’s start with Fort Erie on the left. This is the plaza before this summer’s renovations. It is 45 acres.


Slide19: In Buffalo, the plaza is about 15 acres. As you know, the tollbooths have already moved to Fort Erie and U.S. Customs is coming. Construction of a temporary Duty Free in Buffalo is scheduled to begin next month and then they’ll tear down the one that’s there now. There’ll be no need for such a large plaza in the U.S. The New Millennium Group in Buffalo has an alternative supported by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, Mayor Masiello, Councilmen Bonifacio and Jeff Belt of the Baird Foundation. This is their vision…


Slide20: turning the present plaza into a park and …


Slide21: building a simple ramp around a new Duty Free …


Slide22: and adding more parkland. Meanwhile, the Public Bridge Authority plans for Fort Erie are …


Slide23: that the plaza will grow from 45 to 60 acres. 1.4 M trucks and 7 M cars will pay their tolls and be processed at both the Canadian and U.S. Customs right here in your front yard. And they will sit, idling, waiting and backed up. There will be backups and there will be delays because the Peace Bridge will still be only 3 lanes.


Slide24: And this is how the Fort Erie plaza will become “A Legacy of Poison”.


Slide25: Diesel fumes which are toxic to the environment and human health will be Concentrated here and be carried by the prevailing wind straight into a densely populated residential area.


Slide27: And when the Public Bridge Authority needs to expand again – and it will because more trucks are coming – they will expand south of the QEW or south into the park or …


Slide28: north into the neighbourhood where property values will be very low.


Slide29: FRESH AIR COALITION believes Alternative Two is a simple solution and benefits Fort Erie and Buffalo equally.


Slide30: Turn the U.S. plaza into a park.


Slide31: Build a simple ramp around a new Duty Free.


Slide32: Add green space. Bring Shared Border Management to Fort Erie for cars only…


Slide33: which will make the Fort Erie plaza smaller …


Slide34: turn asphalt to green space and add park land.


Slide36: Trucks are here to stay. In 2003, when the City of Buffalo asked for an independent opinion on the Scoping Document, the report strongly endorsed Shared Border Management. It also said that not studying the IRR option further, appeared inappropriate. Two bridges … one for cars and one for trucks. Two bridges … operating 24/7. Two bridges … co-operating. This is the basic foundation of FRESH AIR COALITION’s Alternative Two. As Councillor Shular said earlier tonight “Every day is Earth Day”. This council can create or destroy. No one can argue with Mr. Rienas’ comment “It shouldn’t be one community wins and one community loses.” Change the plan! Take the trucks off the Peace Bridge.


Slide37: Consider supporting FRESH AIR COALITION’s Shared Border Management Alternative Two. Because then both communities win. Thank you. [Following this deputation, Council then questioned Ms. Secco for almost one hour.]