City intends to plow ahead with road extension through wet lands

The debate over the Biehn Drive extension in south Kitchener has been going on for over a decade but there has been some movement forward, despite the stiff opposition.

The City of Kitchener’s community and infrastructure services committee accepted an environmental study report, which still needs final approval from council. It’s the next step in the plans to extend Biehn Drive which the city wants to facilitate future development and to alleviate some of the traffic in the area.

Some residents in the area have been fighting against city hall to protect a provincially significant wetland and their homes from increased flooding they say will happen as a result.

Yvonne Fernandes, former city councillor, President of the Doon Pioneer Park Community Association has been leading the fight against the roadway.

She told The Mike Farwell Show that her group recognizes the need for more housing so they are not calling for the project to be scrapped.

“What we have said all along is, do directional drilling. Meaning underground. Get in the services. Because we don’t want to stop development. We recognize that affordable housing is an issue in this community. So, we’re saying go ahead, do that. Just don’t put the hard asphalt surface in.”

Fernandes says the road surface would increase runoff into the watershed and disrupt tons of carbon trapped in the wetland. That would go against the city’s environmental initiatives.

She is in favour of the water and waste water infrastructure included in the plan. She sees it as a compromise but the committee hasn’t been given the option to look at other possibilities.

“We were kind of taken aback when we heard from staff that council had two alternatives: approve the EA (environmental assessment) or don’t approve the EA. And, having been on council myself, I know you can pull out parts of a motion. Vote on it separately. Create amendments and that was taken away.”

Fernandes said the group will appeal to council on Dec. 16 in hopes of garnering more support and swaying the vote in the favour. Short of that, Fernandes would like to at the very least, see the road extension portion of the project removed.