Environmental Project Report – Mississauga East (May 3, 2022)
Review the full Environmental Project Report for the Dundas BRT Mississauga East (between Etobicoke Creek and Confederation Parkway).
Review the full Environmental Project Report for the Dundas BRT Mississauga East (between Etobicoke Creek and Confederation Parkway).
Review the Statement of Completion of the Transit Project Assessment Process for the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Mississauga East Project.
A bus rapid transit corridor serving Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and Toronto. This notice to proceed is for the Mississauga East (between Etobicoke Creek and Confederation Parkway) seven-kilometer segment of the corridor. The project will include but is not limited to dedicated...
Metrolinx is planning for tomorrow to keep the Region moving as it continues to grow.
This means planning expansion and new infrastructure projects to serve this growing population into 2041 and beyond. To help people get to where they need to go, Metrolinx, in collaboration with the City of Mississauga, is continuing to advance planning for the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. The Dundas BRT Project is a proposed transportation corridor along a 48 kilometre (km) stretch of Dundas Street from Highway 6 in the City of Hamilton through to the Kipling Transit Hub in the City of Toronto, linking Etobicoke and Mississauga City Centres. More than 20 km of this 48 km municipal transit project would operate in bus lanes or in a dedicated right-of-way, separate from other traffic, allowing faster and more reliable transit connections.
Planning is being undertaken by Metrolinx in collaboration with the municipalities in support of potential future municipal project implementation.
To get there, a Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) – to study impacts and proposed mitigation strategies – was completed for the Mississauga East segment in April 2022. TPAPs will also be completed for Mississauga West and Toronto segments of the corridor in 2024, in accordance with Ontario Regulation 231/08.
A TPAP is a focused environmental impact assessment process created specifically for transit projects, regulated under Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act. It involves a pre-planning phase followed by a regulated engagement and documentation period, which includes engagement with the public, stakeholders and Indigenous Nations, assessment of impacts, development of measures to mitigate negative impacts, and documentation. Following these phases, there is a 30-day public review period where the public has the opportunity to review the Environmental Project Report (EPR) and provide additional comments, followed by a 35-day Minister’s review period.
A TPAP makes sure that the natural, social, cultural, and economic environments are assessed and potential adverse effects from the proposed Project are avoided, mitigated, or minimized where feasible. TPAPs are regulated under Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act, and are submitted for the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ review prior to proceeding with the transit project.
For the Dundas BRT Project, three separate TPAPs will be conducted for:
The TPAP for the Dundas BRT Mississauga East (between Etobicoke Creek and Confederation Parkway) Project commenced on December 10, 2021. The environmental studies determine potential impacts and document mitigation measures that could be applied to reduce or eliminate potential impacts. Mitigation measures proposed will be used by the design team to review and improve design. The following draft environmental studies have been completed and will form part of the Dundas BRT Environmental Project Report (EPR) for the Mississauga East segment of the corridor.
Notification of TPAP commencement was provided via mail, email, newspaper advertisements in Mississauga News (English) and Mississauga Le Metropolitain (French) and posted on the Project webpage on December 10, 2021.
The TPAP for the Dundas BRT Mississauga East Project (between Etobicoke Creek and Confederation Parkway) commenced on December 10, 2021 and was approved on April 27, 2022. The environmental studies determined potential impacts and documented mitigation measures that will be applied to reduce or eliminate potential impacts. Mitigation measures proposed will be used by the design team to review and improve the design. The following draft environmental studies have been completed and formed part of the Dundas BRT Environmental Project Report (EPR) for the Mississauga East segment of the corridor.
The Environmental Project Report (EPR) for the Dundas BRT Mississauga East Project is available at MetrolinxEngage.com/DundasBRT.
Following this round of engagement, Metrolinx will:
The Project Team will continue to complete any necessary studies and proceed with the design of the Dundas BRT corridor. Feedback received from round 3 public engagement will be used by the Project Team to influence refinements to the Environmental Project Report (EPR) and corridor designs for Mississauga East. Work will continue to advance the four segments of the Project as demonstrated below:
Read the Notice of Completion for the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Mississauga East Project - Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP).
Review the virtual public engagement boards from the third Public Information Center held in January 2022.
Read the Notice of Commencement for the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Mississauga East Project - Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP).
Review the virtual public engagement boards from the second Public Information Center held in August 2021.
Review the virtual public engagement boards from the first Public Information Center held in April 2021.
If there are any concerns, questions or objections to the Project, you can provide a written submission to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for consideration no later than March 25, 2022. The submission may be provided by email to [email protected]. All submissions must clearly indicate that an objection to the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit Project is being submitted and describe any negative impacts to matters of provincial importance related to natural or cultural environment or Aboriginal treaty rights. Objections must be received within 30 days after the Notice of Completion of the Environmental Project Report is first published (February 22, 2022) for the Minister’s consideration. If objections are received by March 25, 2022, the Minister is required to consider the objection and determine next steps.
The Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project is currently without confirmed funding or a construction timeline as, at this time, the Project is in an early design phase. Project outcomes will be finalized following the detailed design phase. Ongoing planning and environmental assessment work is being undertaken in collaboration with the municipality in support of potential future municipal implementation.
Planning in Mississauga East is advancing to meet requirements of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan (ICIP) federal funding application. The results of this application, submitted by the City of Mississauga, are expected to be received shortly.
In addition to federal funding for the Mississauga East segment of the corridor, Metrolinx is currently working on the Preliminary Design Business Case (PDBC) to identify the overall costs and benefits of the Project. The PDBC takes the recommended option of the Initial Business Case and reviews different approaches to refine and optimize it. The PDBC occurs during the Preliminary Design stage, along with the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP). It leads to a single preferred option for final development in the Full Business Case (FBC).
More information can be found in the Dundas BRT Initial Business Case, published in September 2020.
The Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project is currently without confirmed funding or a construction timeline. In 2020, Metrolinx and the City of Mississauga entered into a cost-sharing agreement for the Preliminary Design and Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) for the Dundas BRT corridor. The City of Mississauga has submitted an application for federal funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan (ICIP), which is why planning for the Mississauga East segment has advanced compared to the other segments. The results of this application (government approval) are expected to be received shortly.
The Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project is currently without confirmed funding or a construction timeline. Planning in Mississauga East is advancing to meet requirements of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan (ICIP) federal funding application. The results of this application, submitted by the City of Mississauga, are expected to be received shortly. Metrolinx is also currently working on the Preliminary Design Business Case (PDBC) to identify the overall costs and benefits of the Project.
The TPAP is a focused environmental impact assessment process created specifically for transit projects. It involves a pre-planning phase followed by a regulated consultation and documentation period, which includes engagement with the public, stakeholders and Indigenous Nations, assessment of impacts, development of measures to mitigate negative impacts, and documentation. Following these phases, there is a 30-day public review period where the public has the opportunity to review the Environmental Project Report (EPR) and provide additional comments, followed by a 35-day Minister’s review period.
The study is structured into the following four areas along Dundas Street, three TPAPs for Toronto, Mississauga East and Mississauga West, and one Preliminary Design Business Case (PDBC).
The next round of engagement (January 2022) is focused on the Mississauga East segment. Engagement on Toronto, Mississauga West and Halton and Hamilton will continue through 2022. Results from the environmental studies conducted for Toronto and Mississauga West will be shared with the public in winter 2022.
Several Municipal Class Environmental Assessments have been conducted in Halton and Hamilton with existing environmental assessment approvals in place. This includes various road widening projects where, in Halton Region, the curb lanes include provision to accommodate potential High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) or bus-only lanes. Additionally, operational changes are anticipated for this area to complete this Project. As such, environmental studies for Halton and Hamilton are not required as part of this Project.
The TPAP is different from a Class EA process under the Environmental Assessment Act as it is exclusive to transit projects and follows a streamlined process with regulated timelines. Projects assessed under the TPAP do not require any further approvals under the Environmental Assessment Act. Projects under the TPAP are assessed based on a preferred design rather than assessing alternative designs under a Class EA process. A significant portion of the environmental studies and consultation occurs during the pre-planning activities prior to the Notice of Commencement as a TPAP is to be completed within the regulated timelines.
Feedback provided during the first and second rounds of public engagement for the Project has been and will continue to be considered to inform key Project decision-making. Public feedback is important to this process.
The public has identified opportunities to:
The public has identified concerns about:
Questions from the public related specifically to the Mississauga East segment were about the BRT navigating through the Hurontario Road intersection, connections to the Dixie GO station, placement of the Dixie BRT station and the number of BRT stops along Dundas Street between Etobicoke Creek and Confederation Parkway.
The Project Team reviews all comments and questions submitted throughout each phase of the study and uses the feedback to refine the EPR and Preliminary Design. All comments received from the public, stakeholders and Indigenous Nations will be documented in the engagement/consultation record for this Project as part of the EPR.
Feedback received to-date through the first and second rounds of engagement have influenced the refinement and optimization of the 10% Preliminary Design and EPR for Mississauga East.
Some of the comments received will be carried forward to detail design, such as station/stop design, connections with other modes of transportation and environmental protection measures. These are too detailed for the environmental assessment stage but are valuable to the future design.