There are a few things you can rely on every year in Caledonia: the fair, the holiday lights along the Grand, and, when asked about the status of the Argyle Street Bridge, the Ministry of Transportation will, year in and year out, provide the same inadequate response.
As MPP Bobbi Ann Brady continues to inquire at Queen’s Park about the project, we reached out to the MTO once again as well.
The Ministry said it “understands how important the Argyle Street Bridge is to the people of Caledonia” and highlighted the $27.9 billion it will use to build new highways, roads, and bridges across Ontario.
They reported that updates on the Caledonia bridge will move forward “once all the necessary approvals have been secured” and listed off some completed work, like the temporary traffic signals and completion of mussel relocations in 2020 (here’s hoping the mussels know to stay out of the area until the MTO is done with it).
Looking back at August 2022, the MTO touted their ongoing work at the site, such as relocating utilities, and asserted, “The ministry’s goal is to get construction of the Argyle Bridge replacement underway as soon as possible.”
And jumping back further to 2021: “MTO continues the work necessary to get ready to proceed with the construction of the Argyle Street Bridge replacement…. Construction of the new bridge and related works is expected to require at least four construction seasons with the new bridge open for public use near the end of the third year.”
In 2019, The Press reported on MTO’s supposed five-year plan to replace the bridge, which was based on a construction plan put together in 2015. At that time, the new bridge was to be operational by the end of 2023.
Well, it’s the end of 2023 and, as we all know, that same old bridge is there.
In my most recent inquiry to the MTO, I took a more direct approach and demanded a new, clear timeline for the bridge.
I told the MTO that this bridge is in desperate need of replacement, noting the concerns of Haldimand drivers over the level of traffic on it — particularly with how often the weight limit is broken – and how this discussion has been circulating aimlessly for years.
“This needs to change,” I asserted. “I am asking you, as a Ministry, to show transparency in your actions by providing a clear timeline of the work that has been done on the bridge so far, a clear and concise breakdown of the ‘significant progress’ MTO Minister Sarkaria told MPP Brady has been made on the bridge recently, and a clear and concise timeline on when work will actually start on the bridge. Can you make a commitment to begin this work in 2024?”
I want to know if this newest iteration of the MTO, under Minister Sarkaria, will finally be the group to make good on their commitment to the people of Caledonia to keep them safe and prevent a catastrophic and preventable disaster.
The Press tagged MPP Brady and Caledonia Councillor Dan Lawrence in the inquiry. Both have been vocal about their displeasure over the lack of progress made on the bridge in the past.
Lawrence minced no words in his assessment of the MTO’s response, calling it “pathetic and shameful.” He noted the ongoing lobbying by Council over the years, adding, “Yet here we still are, no sign of movement for construction – only many rehabilitations, or in other words, BAND-AIDS.”
He called new MTO Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria “another puppet figurehead…. Why should we expect anything but the above response from the MTO? Why should we not get the same treatment on significant infrastructure replacement as the 416 area code receives?”
Lawrence is certainly coming in hot on the issue, but frankly, I can’t blame him. He has tried for years to push the MTO on the issue. It has to be frustrating to be met with the same non-answers every time. Heck, I’m frustrated by it, and it’s not my job to see it completed, only to report on it.
Lawrence said the bridge was a topic of discussion during a meeting with Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford at a Rural Ontario Municipal Conference (ROMA) in January. He said Rickford spoke about “dynamics at play you have no idea about or cannot understand.” Lawrence blasted Rickford as well for making those comments while failing to provide any clarity on what those dynamics might be.
“I and all in Caledonia have no faith in the Provincial government and their bureaucracies that have decision-making power and the ability to do what is necessary and right here in Caledonia…. The Province controls all the moving parts,” said Lawrence.
To Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Lawrence said, “The current Provincial government led by Doug Ford OWE not just the tax paying citizen, but ALL the people of Caledonia and surrounding area a new, safe bridge over our sacred waterway, the Mighty Grand River…. If a disaster ensues in the future, which again is becoming more evident and closer to reality each day, any fatalities and blood spilled is on Premier Ford. As leader he will and must own it!”
Strong words indeed. Will the Premier listen?
Following the MTO’s most recent response, I wrote back, marking the statement ‘once all the necessary approvals have been secured’ as inadequate and lacking transparency, requesting once again a detailed list of what’s needed, when it will be done, and why it’s been delayed.
The MTO offered no further comment. Disappointing, but unsurprising.
We look forward to providing you our next update in a year. As always, we remain hopeful that meaningful action will have started, but based on the MTO’s track record regarding this bridge, I fear you can likely look forward to more harsh rebukes from our local politicians, another generic statement on how safety is paramount and the MTO is working hard, and another year of white-knuckled trips over the old, unsafe bridge being utilized by hundreds of drivers every day.
To the MTO: put frankly, it’s time to get your s**t together and get this job done.
