Windsor Chamber - Transportation Authority

Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce
2575 Ouellette Place, Windsor, ON, N8X 1L9
Tel: (519) 966-3696 Fax: (519) 966-0603

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Chambers of Commerce Call on Government to Examine Proposed Transportation Authority

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is calling on the provincial government to study the establishment of a transportation authority, which is aimed at operating and developing Ontario’s transportation infrastructure for the 21^st century.

The Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce agrees with the OCC that Ontario’s highways, trade corridors and US border crossings, are being choked off and our economic prosperity is being threatened. Ontario’s reliance on trade makes it imperative that we have a road and public transit system across Ontario that will sustain us into the future.

The Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce was part of the OCC working committee to draft the Transportation Authority proposal.

The Chamber agrees with the OCC that the first step is for the province to establish a Planning Group. This group of selected representatives of Business, Federal and Ontario, Regional and Municipal Governments first task would be to prepare a report within 90 days on a business model and governance structure for the formation of the Transportation Authority. The OCC is prepared to lead this task force that would include representatives from all levels of government, business, consumer and institutional sectors.

The Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce supports the position that a Transportation Authority for Ontario needs to be considered for five fundamental reasons:

Governments at all levels have demonstrated a disjointed effort and lack of co-ordination in dealing with gridlock and planning.

	Gridlock and congestion are increasing alarmingly on Ontario’s roads, trade corridors and border points with the U.S., Ontario’s and Canada’s largest trading partner.
	Ontario’s roads and public transportation systems must be improved and expanded quickly.
	New roads and public transportation inroads, possibly innovative, must be made immediately in concert with land and economic development in Ontario.
	Financing, both public and private sector, will be critical to the new and improved systems.

The Chamber believes that an Ontario Transportation Authority will help maintain and accelerate Ontario’s competitive prosperity.

The Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce represents over 1400 Windsor Essex area businesses and is affiliated with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and it’s over 156 local Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade and their over 57,000 Ontario business members.

The Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce has been the "Voice of Business" in Windsor since 1876.

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NOTE: OCC Transportation Authority Background document can be found at occ.on.ca or a hard copy is available at the Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce