By Bob Korol
Dear Honourable Members of the Legislature,
It has been brought to my attention that the Ontario government is considering re-designating 827 acres of good quality agricultural lands to site a proposed motorway, aka a NASCAR race track.
I wish to express most strongly my opposition to the proposal for several reasons.
1) For food security purposes, the Niagara Region must not allow such valuable lands to be used for other than agriculture or left in its natural state for ecological reasons. I believe such a proposal violates the principles inherent in the Provincial Planning Act or equivalent.
2) NASCAR racing is perhaps the worst so-called spectator sport because it inculcates messages that promote car racing thus setting a bad example for street racing in our cities, for wasting valuable fossil fuels, generating air pollutants hameful to health (plus GHGs), and promotes a sedentary life-style.
3) It will mean traffic congestion without expenditures being devoted to infrastructure necessary to remediate the road system in and around Fort Erie being affected.
4) Aesthetically, it will destroy a countryside atmosphere that is so essential to counter the effects of stress-induced work demands of bread-winners and their families who live in the area.
Indeed, it is hard to imagine a more preposterous enterprise being proposed for your government’s approval!
I have been a long-time supporter of the Ontario Liberal party and recall the good work that Jim Bradley did as Environment Minister some years ago in that portfolio. May I appeal to you both to use common sense to convince our Premier to express opposition to this project. I trust that my own MPP, Ted McMeekin, who invited Jim to Hamilton to speak to our Environmental Advisory Committee a while back will do the same.
Thanks in advance for considering the points raised with regard to this issue.
Sincerely,
Bob Korol
(Bob Korol is a resident of Dundas, Ontario, a professor emeritus in the civil engineering department at McMaster University in Hamilton and member of the Ontario Environment Network based in North Bay, Ontario.
(for more information on the Ontario Environment Network, click on www.oen.ca.)
(click on www.niagaraatlarge for Niagara At Large and more news and commentary of interest and concern to residents in our greater binational Niagara region .)
Niagara At Large 
I thank Professor Korol for his timely remakrs and urge more people to follow his example and urge that the Ontario government appeal the official plan amendments needed to approve the Canadian Motor Speedway scheme to the Ontario Municipal Board. This scheme threatens to reverse a half century of environmental resotration efforts by Fort Erie farmers, that have caused the municipality to have some of Ontario’s best Carolinian habitat. The province must act quickly because the appeal deadline is March 15A!
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To “create” yet another cancerous sore on our
already ailing planet? To cut off our nose in order to improve our looks? Why commit suicide slowly, inch by inch, race track by race track, when we have enough nuclear weapons to do it in a flash? Or perhaps the overriding philosophy is: no pain no gain? I wish Mad Magazine was still around and kicking.
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And heaven help the race drivers who get hurt in an accident…just how long will it take to get them to northwest St. Catharines….?
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Thank you Mr. Korol for voicing your opinion on the proposed speedway in Fort Erie, and for all the people that will take the time to speak out. We need to keep our farm and wet lands in this area. Don’t give us more pollutants in the air, soil and water. They shut our hospital down, but then decide to bring up to 100,000 people to the area in one shot. If someone would need help, it will be a long way to bring an injured driver or spectator to get the proper help. Please think before you give our land away.
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