Hamilton New Democrat MPPs say judicial review the only way to handle Red Hill controversy

There has been another call from Hamilton’s NDP MPPs to open a judicial review into a buried 2013 report that questioned the safety of the Red Hill Valley Parkway.

The four New Democrat MPPs, led by provincial Opposition leader Andrea Horwath, have made the request in a letter to city council.

Horwath notes that while councillors have voted to support an independent external review, they will not decide until March 20 if that review will take the form of a judicial inquiry.

She adds that the NDP’s request follows a meeting with families who have lost loved ones in crashes along the parkway and who need their “trust to be rebuilt.”

Horwath says that can only happen through a judicial inquiry because the process will ensure a “completely unbiased, independent review by a respected person that can subpoena documents and that can compel witnesses.”

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LISTEN BELOW: Sam Merulla, City Councillor, Ward 4 talks to Global News Radio 900 CHML about the buried 2013 Red Hill Valley Parkway safety report.

The 2013 report, which had been buried until city staff confirmed its existence last month, raised concerns about friction levels on the parkway’s surface.

Since the document was revealed, the city has lowered the speed limit to 80 km/h from Queenston Road to the Queen Elizabeth Way.

A resurfacing of the Red Hill Valley Parkway is also being expedited and is expected to take place this spring or summer. Deputy Police Chief Frank Bergen confirmed to the city’s Police Services Board on Thursday afternoon that officers will have an “increased presence” over the next 90 days, or until the new asphalt is laid.

Police Chief Eric Girt added that officers who are carrying out extra enforcement on the parkway have been redirected from breath-tech responsibilities and other support services.

Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla has also responded to the NDP request for a judicial inquiry by asking for an apology to Hamilton residents from the province.

Merulla notes that Ontario didn’t release the 2007 results of its own provincial friction testing on the Red Hill Valley Parkway until after revelations surfaced that the 2013 report had been suppressed at city hall.