Recently we visited with our M.P.P Ted Chudleigh to talk about issues concerning and Acton truck route, the Provincial riding of Halton, and the newly announced Green Zone and it's implications in Halton.

The first thing we discussed was a truck route bypass for Acton. We explained how the changes in Acton's downtown core with regards to the no parking issues, implemented by the A.B.I.A have adversely affected commerce in on Main St. We talked about how Milton's core is bustling with commerce activity, and how that is mostly attributed to the Regional Rd. 25 bypass

He mentioned how with the last Mayor he initiated contact with a proposal for an Acton truck route that would take the transient traffic off Acton's downtown Streets, but there wasn't much interest then. We talked about the the formalities involved to initiate the process and how Georgetown had the Province paid for 100% of their bypass improvements.

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He mentioned how in Acton, you only have to watch one tractor trailer go down through Main St. to see there's a problem.

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Ted talked about how the Premier is getting a pretty good review of the Green Belt from the entire community except for the farmers. "If you think about it, who owns the land, it's farmers. I was talking to one from the Niagara region who has a large farm, grapes, for wine purposes, ... planting a vinery is very expensive, you go to the bank. He didn't mention what his loan was, but I suspect it was significant. If you had land down there that was worth ten or fifteen thousand an acre, on last Friday when it (The Green Belt Plan) was announced, that land may be worth seventy five hundred or five thousand an acre now." Ted said. He explains some of these farmers have financed their operations with the bank with what now is an over financed low collateral operation.

"I think if they're going to have a Green Belt policy that looks after the entire community, I think they have to make that consideration as well. If we as a society say we want this green belt, and from what I gather, it's popular, and much of this Green Belt is owned by farmers, and it has a negative impact on that large segment of our community, then I think it's the communities responsibility to look after that." said Ted.

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We contacted local real estate representative, Dave Braida, from Remax who said, "it's too early to estimate how the Provincial plan might affect local property values. There's many considerations that have to be weighed'. Residential values could increase with the added Provincial Green Belt moratorium. Bedroom communities can be very attractive and desirable to those tired of the Metro lifestyle. If there's only limited property available, an added moratorium is placed on residential development while demand is high, one could speculate property values will increase.

We talked further with Mr. Chudleigh about his riding and how Halton's Chair Joyce Savoline explained to the media at the recent Rural Community Forum Meet for north Halton, that anything north of Dundas is considered rural. Ted told us that the population of Milton alone is soon to be forty eight thousand.

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Contact Ted at: ted_chudleigh@ontla.ola.org

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