Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
The Red Hill Valley Parkway judicial inquiry has been released, with the City and City Council committing to review and implement recommendations in its ongoing commitment to public safety and trust.
For more details, please continue reading below…
The full City of Hamilton release can be found here.
HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton is reviewing the Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry recommendations as part of its ongoing commitment to public safety and trust.
A previous City Council requested the Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry on April 24, 2019 following the discovery of a 2013 consultant’s report detailing the results of asphalt friction testing that was not shared with the City’s Senior Leadership Team or City Council until late 2018 and early 2019, respectively.
Led by Commissioner Herman J. Wilton-Siegel, the Judicial Inquiry involved 89 days of hearings, more than 131,941 documents and 107 witnesses.
Since the report was discovered, the City has taken various actions to investigate and improve transparency and coordination between City departments. The Red Hill Valley Parkway was also repaved in May and July 2019.
At that time, speed limits were reduced to 80km/hr on both sides of the Parkway between Dartnall Road and Greenhill Avenue to 80km/hr.
The City also created a temporary Chief Road Official position to improve operating procedures related to planning, design, construction, and maintenance operations for City roadways, including the Red Hill and a Parkway Management Committee to ensure better information sharing and workplan alignment among City divisions.
A Quality Management System was also implemented in the Public Works Department to ensure staff meet and exceed regulatory standards.
The City also took a number of steps to improve its document management systems and policies regarding information sharing and transparency, including:
- The development and ongoing implementation of a Records and Information Management Policy.
- The development and ongoing implementation of an Active Disclosure and Dissemination Policy, which makes it clear how and when information such as consultant reports are to be made available to the public.
- Development and implementation of a Council Staff Relationship policy.
- Creation of materials and training policy to improve project management activities, including regular reporting.
- An improved tracking system for external consultant reports.
Over the coming days, City staff will review the Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry’s findings and recommendations in detail and bring a report to the December 6, 2023 General Issues Committee where members of City Council will be provided an overview on how the City will respond and next steps in the process.
The City will keep the community up to date on its response to the Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry with a dedicated webpage at Hamilton.ca/rhvp, which includes information about the Judicial Inquiry, answers to frequently asked questions, as well as a tracking system where residents can stay up to date on actions the City has taken.
The Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry Report is available at www.rhvpi.ca.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office here.