Northumberland County dissed on EDRs

Northumberland 89.7 FM File Photo

By: Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM News

Northumberland County

EDRs are a big expense for lower-tier municipalities, but Northumberland County has not had good luck at getting the province to listen

Among the issues on which Northumberland County hopes to present a delegation at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference is Emergency Detour Routes.

These are the alternate routes that traffic on Highway 401 takes when the provincial route is out of commission for whatever reason, from weather conditions to accidents.

At this week's county council meeting, Councillor John Logel noted that it affects all Northumberland municipalities except for Trent Hills. The result is more wear and tear on municipal roads, which is especially a burden for smaller municipalities.

“It's an issue that we all face and need to get behind,” Logel said.

Warden Brian Ostrander noted that it is especially a problem in Brighton and Colborne, where the EDR takes Highway 401 traffic through their main-street routes and their downtowns.

Ostrander recalled bringing up the problem at previous meetings with previous Ministers of Transportation Caroline Mulroney and, more recently, Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria.

He left the second meeting very hopeful, referring to “lots of discussion, lots of turning over of business cards from our public works staff. The staff felt like it was a good sign, with a positive feeling that things were going to change.”

Unfortunately, when it came to a follow-up meeting, he reported, “we were essentially shut down.”

Other issues on which the county hopes to present a delegation are housing and homelessness, infrastructure funding for the Campbellford Bridge, and a joint presentation with the Town of Cobourg on court security and prisoner-transportation funding shortfalls.