As previously posted: February 9, 2011

Oshawa Mayor’s road tour takes him to Markham on Tuesday, February 8

OSHAWA – The City of Oshawa’s RAMP it up! Hwy 407 East Extension campaign continues to drive forward.

Week three begins with Oshawa Mayor John Henry visiting the Town of Markham on Tuesday, February 8 to ask municipal Council to support the expedited construction of the Hwy 407 East in one continuous phase from Brock Road in Pickering to Hwy 35/115.

The campaign calls for residents and businesses across southern Ontario to join the City of Oshawa, Durham Region, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes in urging the province to honour its commitment – as originally promised and planned – for the benefit of southern Ontario.

Community members can show their support by adding their names to an online petition (www.oshawa.ca/407) or by completing a postage-paid petition postcard. Postcards are available at businesses and municipal buildings across Oshawa, as well as in southern Ontario communities that Mayor Henry is visiting during the road tour campaign. The City of Oshawa is gathering all petition postcards for delivery to Queen’s Park in March 2011.

Since the RAMP it up! launch on January 24:
• Nearly 750 names have been added to the online petition at www.oshawa.ca/407;
• 50,000 postage-paid postcards are being distributed to communities across Ontario;
• over 50 municipal/regional governments (Durham Region Municipalities, GTA Regions and GTAH Municipalities) have received a campaign toolkit; and,
• 106 Ontario MPs and 107 Ontario MPPs have been emailed, asking for their written support.

Public and political pressure surrounding the Hwy 407 East Extension project has been building since the province unexpectedly announced it would build the extension in two phases – contrary to years of preparation, study and promises for a one-phase extension from Brock Road in Pickering through to Hwy 35/115. Currently, the province plans to stop Hwy 407 at Simcoe Street in Oshawa using a two-phased approach, which will ultimately mean higher costs for all provincial taxpayers. In addition, it will cost the residents of Durham Region and the City of Oshawa approximately $329 million in unplanned capital road work plus ongoing maintenance costs.

For more information, visit www.oshawa.ca/407 or follow the campaign on twitter @oshawacity.

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Media Contact:

Mayor John Henry
City of Oshawa
407@oshawa.ca
905-436-5647