Mayor's inner circle puts off Sterling Lyon Parkway vote

Mayor Brian Bowman's inner circle will take another three weeks to decide on a plan to extend Sterling Lyon Parkway along the Wilkes Avenue corridor.

City council's executive policy committee voted 5-2 on Wednesday to put off a decision on a motion authored by Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge Coun. Marty Morantz that would connect Sterling Lyon Parkway to a future extension of William Clement Parkway by widening Wilkes Avenue instead of building a new freeway to the south.

Morantz, South Wilkes residents and other property owners in the semi-rural area are opposed to the southern Sterling Lyon extension route, preferred by public works department staff and consulting firm WSP, which would require the city to expropriate all or part of 48 agricultural and residential properties.

Last week, council's public works committee voted unanimously to endorse Morantz's motion to ensure Wilkes Avenue would be widened instead. The route has not been costed out, aside from a $160-million projection described by Morantz as a back-of-the-napkin calculation.​ 

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On Wednesday, the executive policy committee declined to follow suit, as St. James-Brooklands-Weston Coun. Scott Gillingham asked for more time to review a package of new information Morantz gave the committee.

St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes said while he supports the South Wilkes residents and does not support a route through their properties, he does not know why council has to decide on on another alignment immediately.

River Heights-Fort Garry Coun. John Orlikow said he does not like a process where the public works department is planning a road through South Wilkes while there is no planning framework for the neighbourhood.

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Mayor Brian Bowman, Orlikow, Mayes, and Daniel McIntyre Coun. Cindy Gilroy all supported Gillingham's motion, which pushed the decision to the Nov. 29 EPC meeting. Morantz and Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan voted against the delay.

After the vote, South Wilkes resident Lori Dobbie said she was concerned about the delay even as she was heartened by the fact no member of EPC supports a Sterling Lyon extension that would run south of Wilkes Avenue.

"Finally, they are getting our point that the process there was absolutely unacceptable. It seems that that was unanimously understood," she said.

She said people in her neighbourhood are not opposed to development, but the city must respect people already living there.

Earlier, the executive policy committee was told by delegates that consulting firm WSP was set on the southern alignment for at least two years.​

Brett Ferguson, a consultant working for the South Wilkes residents, told the committee he was previously contracted by WSP. Ferguson said he was asked to examine expropriations along the consulting firm's preferred route in 2015 — a year before public consultations were held on three other options.