Downtown Brampton Flood Protection Project - Environmental Assessment

[Northern Light]

The TRCA has a preferred alternative for addressing flooding concerns in Downtown Brampton.

The importance of this is that upon these being addressed it will be possible for Downtown Brampton to densify with new residential development, currently restricted due to its location within a regulatory floodplain.

The recommendations are:

The overall preferred alternative consists of the following components to improve conveyance (Figure 3):

Upstream:

Widening (to 50 m) and deepening (by 1.2 m) the by-pass channel
Re-aligning Ken Whillans Drive and re-grading Church Street and the valley north of Church Street
Bridge replacements at Church Street, Scott Street, and Queen StreetoModifications to the CN rail bridge,
Relocation or replacement of the pedestrian bridge in Centennial Park

Downstream:

Do-Nothing approach was selected as it was determined that none of the downstream alternative solutions would eliminate the downstream spill, the upstream alternative solution
would have a positive impact on the downstream spill, and the limited benefit of implementing any of the downstream alternative solutions does not outweigh the impacts and cost.

The solution looks like this:

The full report is here:

https://pub-trca.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=5963

 

[Northern Light]

The EA has been approved, and Brampton is set to move forward with detailed design of 'River Walk' and the associated flood protection for Downtown Brampton.

Media Release is here:

City’s transformative Riverwalk project moves closer to implementation

The City of Brampton has moved one step closer to realizing its Riverwalk project, a transformational initiative that will help unlock the economic potential of downtown Brampton.

www.brampton.ca

 

[Allandale25]

^ As part of today's Council agenda package, correspondence on this.

 

[Wm Perkins Bull]

New media release, PIC on October 1st

Residents invited to attend City’s Riverwalk Area Urban Design Master Plan Public Information Session

The City of Brampton invites residents to participate in its first Riverwalk Area Urban Design Master Plan Public Information Session on Thursday, October 1 from 6:30 to 8 pm. Residents will have the opportunity to learn more about the project from staff and the consulting team and provide feedback.

www.brampton.ca

 

[Allandale25]

Minister McKenna announced 40% funding today for the project. I believe the City is picking up the remainder.

Federal Funding Announcement | City of Brampton – Your Local Government was live. | By City of Brampton – Your Local GovernmentFacebook

City of Brampton – Your Local Government was live.

www.facebook.com

TRCA CAO said in the Q and A that detailed design will now commence.

 

[Northern Light]

Minister McKenna announced 40% funding today for the project. I believe the City is picking up the remainder.

Federal Funding Announcement | City of Brampton – Your Local Government was live. | By City of Brampton – Your Local GovernmentFacebook

City of Brampton – Your Local Government was live.

www.facebook.com

TRCA CAO said in the Q and A that detailed design will now commence.

This is really great to see moving forward on so many levels.

Its necessary to allow new residential intensification in downtown Brampton in a material way.

Once completed it opens up the opportunity for a very substantial investment in Downtown Brampton.

It also benefits the environment, creating additional natural parklands/floodplains and removing creek from a concrete ditch.

It does that while also boosting quality of life, creating a new walking/cycling corridor alongside nature that will boost the aesthetic value, the air quality, and also the pleasantness of day to day life.

I don't want to oversell it; but it really is a great project; subject to the design being done right!

 

[Allandale25]

Investing in flood protection for Brampton’s historic downtown core - Canada.ca

The historic downtown core of Brampton will be better protected from flooding caused by extreme weather events as the Government of Canada invests to construct, rehabilitate and expand important public infrastructure.

www.canada.ca

https://twitter.com/x/status/1329086745145532426

 

[Allandale25]

Related to this, public meeting happening this week for the Riverwalk Urban Design Master Plan (UDMP).

Have Your Say

Engagement Page for the Brampton Riverwalk Project

www.brampton.ca

 

[Allandale25]

As reported by a local media publication:

Staff report PDF [downloaded it because links change on the City's agenda page]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FdjBrRlWZp6xQE69jRefvrgKiJEvYSpb/view?usp=sharing

Here are the properties:

....from an appendix to the staff report.

 

[Allandale25]

Staff recommendations and report adopted by Committee of Council and no reason to think it won't be adopted at full Council. Report here and Attachment 1 here. Two more properties will be expropriated.

Current Situation: A change is required to the preferred engineering solution for providing flood protection in Downtown Brampton. As described in the approved EA, providing additional capacity to ensure flows in the Etobicoke Creek during extreme storm events can be safely conveyed without flooding requires the CN Rail crossing over Etobicoke Creek be widened or otherwise expanded to allow more water to pass under the railway line. As per the EA, this would involve the installation of large culverts that would be located on property currently owned by Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services and substantially impact those lands. An alternative solution to avoid impacting the cemetery was successfully identified during detailed design of the flood protection works, but requires additional property be acquired as identified in Attachment 1.

This change in the engineering solution allowing the project to avoid impacts to the cemetery provides increased certainty around the schedule of the DBFP, avoids costs associated with the closure and relocation of the cemetery, and avoids a lengthy and complicated regulatory process.

The authorization being sought in this report, to acquire property interests byexpropriation, is the first step in the expropriation process. As this project is tied to the federal Government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Funding and the timelines established thereunder, staff have identified as accurately as possible the fee simple property interests required based on an amendment to the EA which accounts for design/construction issues with CN Rail and St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Another report will be presented to Council to seek approval of the property interests to be expropriated, after Notices of Application for Approval to Expropriate Land have been served/published and Hearings of Necessity, if any, have been completed.

I've created this map to show the properties. I assume the part of 100 John St that will be taken is where the black arrow is located. 30 John St is highlighted in red.

 

[Northern Light]

Staff recommendations and report adopted by Committee of Council and no reason to think it won't be adopted at full Council. Report here and Attachment 1 here. Two more properties will be expropriated.



View attachment 536853
I've created this map to show the properties. I assume the part of 100 John St that will be taken is where the black arrow is located. 30 John St is highlighted in red.

View attachment 536852

Your assumptions make sense to me. The intent here is an enlarged culvert on the west side of the creek, the culvert obviously will be open to the creek/flood flows on both sides.

Its not inconceivable that they would require some lands further north, but that seems improbable. Flood waters don't like hard turns. But there appears to be room to gently take the creek or overflow waters over a bit.

 

[Northern Light]

Media piece on this project discussing complaints by some of those facing expropriation that the City and their Councillor have been mum on timelines and impacts.

Their properties need to be expropriated for the Riverwalk, but Brampton has left these residents in the dark

Full or partial expropriation of several properties is necessary to begin construction on the transformative Riverwalk project.

thepointer.com

Lending credibility to the residents, neither the City of Brampton nor the Councillor bothered getting back to the media!

I happen to think this is an important project, and one which should move forward; I don't agree with every aspect of the design chosen, but I digress; I see no reason for the City or the Councillor
to be so tactless in how they are handling the matter.

 

[ShonTron]

Be careful about posting anything from The Pointer. It’s headed by a fired Toronto Star reporter who is allied with the old guard conservative councillors like ex councillor Elaine Moore. He was anti-LRT in 2015 and he is not going to get comments from progressive councillors like Santos and Vicente. .

 

[Wm Perkins Bull]

The Heritage Block RFP notes that the City intends for the Riverwalk flood control project to be done in Late 2028.

 

[FullMetalEngineer]

Thanks for sharing the RFP, good to see these diagrams:

Riverwalk portion mentioned is for phase 1, there's also phase 2 north of this and a phase 3.

Be careful about posting anything from The Pointer. It’s headed by a fired Toronto Star reporter who is allied with the old guard conservative councillors like ex councillor Elaine Moore. He was anti-LRT in 2015 and he is not going to get comments from progressive councillors like Santos and Vicente. .

Brampton is the only GTA city with a Nimby old guard who control their own media outlet to get their interests back in power and slander progressives on a daily basis. They have also been able to penetrate other news platforms like Global through former Pointer reporter Isaac Callan and CBC Brampon Bureau has been republishing The Pointers old 2022 election hit pieces through Saloni Bughra. San Grewal is backed by Federal dollars under the local journalism initiative with his weaponized platform and launches rookie journalists to other organizations who he pulls strings with. Hopefully his funding dries up after 2025 election. Always have to check sources for Brampton reporting beyond face value.