BARRIE: Ruling gets Allandale Station project back on track

Barrie is preparing to move ahead with the Allandale Station project.

Ruling gets Allandale Station project back on track

Stan Howe

Barrie is preparing to move ahead with the Allandale Station project.

The Correct Group Inc. (CGI) registered the certificate of pending legislation last year in a bid to stop the city from developing the station and negotiating a land exchange with an adjacent landowner.

On June 28, Ontario Superior Court of Justice Susan Healey granted Barrie's motion to have the certificate removed from the site.

Such a certificate puts involved parties on notice that litigation is pending, city spokesperson Rebecca James-Reid said.

"Although the underlying lawsuit continues, the … decision is clearly a positive step and supports the position the city has taken," she said.  

City staff will now develop a strategy for the station lands and report back to council.

CGI also launched a $28-million civil suit in December. It has since been expanded to include claims against city officials and employees and highlights contamination on the site.

"CGI is disappointed the court did not find in its favour, as it would have been one step closer to building a beautiful project on the site," the company said in a prepared statement.

The firm is now deciding if it will appeal the decision or simply pursue damages.

The developer claims the city reneged on a preliminary agreement to sell the land to CGI for commercial, office and residential buildings on the land. It also claims the city failed to disclose mercury and benzene contamination, even to an appraiser, who recommended the city seek a higher price for the site.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

In her ruling, Justice Healey said the city proved CGI "does not have a reasonable claim to an interest in the Allandale Station lands."

Barrie and CGI signed a preliminary agreement in May 2009, which also included the YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka. But the YMCA pulled out in January 2010, citing a growing financial risk.

The city and CGI continued talking, but never agreed on a master site plan or a purchase price, the judge noted.

The city halted talks in December 2010.

In September 2011, the city put the site on the market and, in January 2012, city council authorized staff to negotiate exclusively with another developer.

Weeks later, CGI registered the certificate of pending legislation on the land, which halted the talks as well as those with Re/Max for a land exchange.

The city also could not proceed to call for proposals for tenants in the station, in which it invested $4.5 million to upgrade the exterior building. No interior work has been done.

Thanks Laurie Watt/Barrie Advance

Barrie: GO Commuters could be paying separately for parking

Barrie commuters could one day be paying separately to park at GO Transit lots before they take the train.

Metrolinx, which operates GO, is looking at paid parking at its stations as a potential revenue stream.

It was discussed at this week’s Metrolinx board meeting about progress, changes and public feedback on its Big Move project — a 25-year, $50-billion program to build extended transit throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

“Right now, at this time, there are no immediate plans for charging GO customers for parking,” said Malon Edwards of Metrolinx.

“Paid parking is just one of more than 20 revenue tools we’re considering to fund the Big Move ... 20 different revenue tools.”

There is currently no separate charge for parking at Barrie’s two GO stations: Barrie South (St. Paul’s) and Allandale Waterfront.

Metrolinx says the 160 parking spots at the Allandale station are used at 94% capacity, while the 619 spaces at Barrie South are at 87% capacity.

About 100 people get on and off the GO trains at Allandale daily, Metrolinx said, while 530 passengers get on and 520 get off the Barrie South trains each weekday.

An adult or student ticket from Allandale Waterfront to Union Station in Toronto costs $12.40, and $6.20 for a senior or child. This trip costs $11.31 with the Presto card.

Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig said paid parking needs to be on GO’s radar.

“It’s something that has been talked about, and I think we do need to think about it,” he said. “One of the things we’ve heard very clearly during roundtables is this strong desire for a linkage between contribution and outcome, so wherever the funding comes from, we need to demonstrate to those people that they are getting (improved service).”

Since mid-January, Metrolinx has been holding community roundtables throughout the GTHA to gather public, municipal and private-sector feedback on the project, particularly on proposed revenue tools that could be used to fund it, such as highway tolls, fuel tax, vehicle registration fee and land-transfer tax.

McCuaig didn’t provide a ballpark revenue figure if Metrolinx charged extra for parking, or how much customers would be charged to park.

“That’s dependent on the price points that are put in place and we’d also need to look at how does it relate to our fare structure… because right now all of our customers pay for parking through the fares they pay,” he said.

“I think we would have a complex process that we’d need to go through.”

Currently, there is no additional charge to park in any of the transit provider’s 66,312 parking spots.

McCuaig also wouldn’t elaborate when asked what potential revenue tools were found to be most unpopular during Metrolinx’s community roundtables held so far.

“We’re still hearing back from the public and stakeholders. I don’t want to prejudge what I’m going to be hearing from the business community, for example…I guess what I am hearing, though, is there is a lot of support for the … principles we’ve articulated.”

Metrolinx has held roundtables in Oakville, Newmarket, Mississauga, Georgetown, Ajax, Brampton, North York, Oshawa, Toronto and Hamilton.

Roundtables will be held in Dundas on Saturday and Richmond Hill next Tuesday.

Edwards said Metrolinx is nowhere near talking about how much it would charge or when it would implement separate paid parking.

“It’s too early to draw any conclusions on which revenue tools we’re going to use, whether it’s paid parking or any of the others,” he said.

“It’s just an idea, that’s exactly what it is, and we want the public to join us in talking about this idea.”

For more information, visit bigmove.ca.

(Bob Bruton - Barrie Examiner)

Barrie Commuter Train Service - Go Transit has added two new railcars

By Lance Holdforth, Special to QMI Agency

Rides on the GO Train should be a bit more spacious for Barrie commuters.

Go Transit, a division of Metrolinx, has added two railcars to the 6:52 a.m. train from the Allandale station and the 5:05 p.m. train from Union Station.

“As part of the service changes, some of the trips on the Lakeshore line and the Barrie line will be a bit more comfortable,” said Vanessa Thomas, spokesperson for Metrolinx. “Across our system we’ve been transitioning from 10-car trains to 12-car trains and when you add two additional railcars, that allows you to seat an additional 320 people.”

Thomas said a total of 16 cars will be added to rail lines in the province as part of the company’s commitment to provide quality transit to customers.

“It’s to serve our customers better and to accommodate our growing ridership,” she said. “The service adjustment will further Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan called the Big Move and it’ll help make GO Transit a faster, more frequent and more convenient transportation option for customers.”

Barrie customers can now enjoy the relaxation of transit with more ease, Thomas said.

“Barrie customers can look forward to more comfort with the additional seats and help us accommodate our growing ridership in the Barrie area,” she said.

The GO Transit system services 62 million passengers a year on 11,000 kilometres of track.