[All] Hwy 7 announcement soon?

[Eleanor Grant]

Not sure if this is any more firm than all their previous announcements.
What do we know about the land they've started buying for the highway, and
the effect this is having on the communities concerned?

Eleanor

Highway 7 expansion won't start until 2016, leaked document suggests

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4441506-highway-7-expansion-won-t-start-until-2016-leaked-document-suggests/

Chris Herhalt

WATERLOO REGION-- The Ontario Liberals plan to push back the construction
start date for a long-awaited upgrade of Highway 7 between Kitchener and
Guelph by another year, suggests a leaked document released by the Ontario
Progressive Conservative party Tuesday morning.

The document, entitled "Budget Rollout Calendar," indicates construction on
a new 18 kilometre, four-lane highway between the two cities, originally
announced in 2007, will not begin until 2016-2017. The region had
repeatedly been told construction would begin sometime in 2015.

"Construction is planned to start in 2016-2017 and be completed in
2020-2021," reads the document, marked "confidential advice to cabinet."

It also suggests Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Transportation Minister
Glen Murray and Finance Minister Charles Sousa will announce new funding
for the project, possibly somewhere in Waterloo Region, on April 17.

"New investment provides opportunity for a progress announcement," reads
the leaked 11 page document.

The document also calls for "regional echos," re-announcements of news
related to Highway 7 and transit expansion, in other parts of the province.

In Question Period Tuesday morning, Sousa did not dispute the document's
authenticity.

The Ministry of Transportation began buying land for the new highway, which
will run parallel to the north of the existing Highway 7, in November 2013.

The document also details a total of $5.7 billion in new spending on
everything from maintenance backlogs at schools, an inflationary increase
in the Ontario Child Benefit, to a promise to the end the debt retirement
charge on residential customers' hydro bills by January 2016.

According to the document, Wynne will unveil her government's plans to fund
transit expansion on April 14, and Sousa will table a 2014 budget on May 1.
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