Yonge St. Closures Aug.23–May 2014 + Your Input on Canada & USA Joint Actions on Trade in Plants

Construction to Replace Yonge Street Watermain Begins August 23

City of Toronto's image: Construction to replace Yonge Street watermain begins August 23, 2013.
City of Toronto’s image: Construction to replace Yonge Street watermain begins August 23, 2013.

Starting today, August 23, the City of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, will begin work to replace the Yonge Street watermain from Finch Avenue to Sheppard Avenue.

  • The project is expected to be completed by May 2014.
    • Replacing 2.3 kilometers of watermain will help ensure uninterrupted water service to residents and businesses.
    • The current 250-mm diameter watermain, located along the west side of Yonge Street will be replaced with a 300-mm diameter pipe.
  • Work will take place from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
    • Work at signalized intersections and on most water service connections (the pipes that deliver water to individual properties) will be completed at night, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
  • Various sections of the southbound curb lane will be closed for the duration of the project as follows.

    • Phase 1 of the construction is from August 23 until approximately early December 2013.
      • The southbound curb lane of Yonge Street between Finch Avenue and Kingsdale Avenue will be closed.
    • Phase 2 of the construction is from October 1, 2013 to approximately March 2014, with road restoration work extending to May 2014.
      • The southbound curb lane of Yonge Street from Kingsdale Avenue to Sheppard Avenue will be closed.
      • This will leave one lane open for southbound traffic at all times and two lanes open for southbound traffic at night and during morning rush hour.
    • A second southbound lane will also be closed to accommodate the work zone during the hours of construction.
  • Additionally, the northbound curb lane will be closed periodically between Finch Avenue and Sheppard Avenue throughout the project.
    • This is primarily to allow the construction of water service connections.
  • The following actions will ease traffic impacts.
    • Traffic signal timing at intersections will be adjusted.
    • Left turn advance signals will be installed at some locations.
    • Motorists are encouraged to use public transit and take alternate routes during construction.
    • Alternate routes include Bathurst Street, Senlac Road, Beecroft Road, Willowdale Avenue and Bayview Avenue.
City of Toronto's image: View of Yonge Street
City of Toronto’s image: View of Yonge Street
  • A community update meeting to explain the timing, phasing and impacts of the project will be held:
    Tuesday, September 3
    7 to 8:30 p.m.
    North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber, 5100 Yonge St.

City of Toronto Contact Info

Phone within Toronto city limits: 311.

Phone outside city limits: 416-392-CITY (2489)
(can be used within Toronto if you can’t reach 311).

TTY customers: 416-338-0TTY (0889)
Fax: 416-338-0685
E-mail: 311@toronto.ca

If your matter is urgent, please call them. They are open 24/7.

Your Input is Requested by September 27, 2013: The Canada-United States Perimeter Approach to Plant Protection

  • The CFIA and APHIS, under the authority of their Plant Protection Act/Plant Protection Regulations, administer programs for the prevention of the introduction and spread of quarantine pests and the facilitation of trade in agricultural and forestry products.
    • Did you know?
      • In 2010, there was $33 billion in total bilateral trade in agricultural products.
      • And Canada purchased approximately 13% of U.S. exports, while nearly one fifth of U.S. agricultural imports came from Canada.
  • The Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) was created by the United States’ President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2011 as a mechanism to promote regulatory cooperation and alignment to facilitate trade and provide benefits for industry and consumers.
    • The RCC also provides a forum for increased stakeholder engagement to help determine priorities and optimize resources.
    • Canada’s Joint Action Plan Initiatives (for the Perimeter Security & Economic Competitiveness) include the following:
      • Develop common approaches to food safety, in light of food safety modernization efforts in both countries, to jointly enhance the safety of the Canada-U.S. food supply and minimize the need for routine food safety surveillance inspection activities in each other’s country (applies to products within the mandates of both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration).
      • Establish mutual reliance on jointly acceptable food safety laboratory recognition criteria, test results and methodologies to ensure that food safety laboratory testing conducted in one country is acceptable to regulators in both countries and facilitate cross-utilization of laboratory results by industry and regulators (applies to products within the mandates of both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration).
  • This document outlines a framework to support ongoing Canada-United States bilateral engagement and regulatory alignment in order to mitigate risks associated with plants and plant products and other regulated articles arriving into the United States or Canada from third countries and to facilitate trade between Canada and the United States.
  • This Framework includes the following purposes:
    • To provide an operational plan for APHIS and the CFIA to identify plant health risks of common concern and where appropriate, to work jointly towards an aligned regulatory approach and the development of harmonized measures to address these risks.
    • To lead to adjustments of the border requirements for relevant commodities between Canada and the United States, resulting in facilitated movement of regulated commodities across the border while providing appropriate protection for agriculture and the environment.
  • Both CFIA and APHIS are seeking your input on the proposed framework, the role of stakeholders in the process, and issues that you believe could benefit from closer United States-Canada regulatory cooperation.
    • You could include the following specific questions for your consideration.
      • How and when would you, as a stakeholder, like to be engaged in the process of identification and prioritization of issues under this framework?
      • What specific areas of plant health programs would benefit from closer cooperation between Canada and the United States?
      • Are there differences between specific United States and Canada plant health regulatory policies that are creating unnecessary financial or technical burdens for your industry or sector?
      • What are some advantages or disadvantages associated with deepening bilateral cooperation in North America?
  • APHIS and the CFIA will share and consider all comments received and revise the draft framework as appropriate.
    • The Steering Committee will meet later this year to finalize the framework and to determine projects and priorities for 2014.
  • Please send your comments to rccplant-ccrvegetaux@inspection.gc.ca by September 27, 2013.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

NEWS RELEASE

Request for Comments: The Canada-United States Perimeter Approach to Plant Protection

OTTAWA, August 9, 2013: As part of the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and United States Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are seeking feedback from stakeholders on the draft Canada-United States Perimeter Approach to Plant Protection framework document.

The framework proposes details on how the two government agencies can work together on regulatory cooperation and aligning regulatory policies where possible, for the safe and efficient trade in plants and plant products between Canada and the United States.

Under the framework, the CFIA and APHIS will identify and prioritize issues of mutual concern that could benefit from closer regulatory cooperation or alignment of regulatory policies.

As a plant health stakeholder, your input is very important. In particular, we would appreciate your views on the proposed framework, the role of stakeholders in the process, and issues that you believe could benefit from closer United States-Canada regulatory cooperation.

Some specific questions for your consideration could include:

  • How and when would you, as a stakeholder, like to be engaged in the process of identification and prioritization of issues under this framework?
  • What specific areas of plant health programs would benefit from closer cooperation between Canada and the United States?
  • Are there differences between specific United States and Canada plant health regulatory policies that are creating unnecessary financial or technical burdens for your industry or sector?
  • What are some advantages or disadvantages associated with deepening bilateral cooperation in North America?

APHIS and the CFIA will share and consider all comments received and revise the draft framework as appropriate. The Steering Committee will meet later this year to finalize the framework and to determine projects and priorities for 2014.

Please send your comments to rccplant-ccrvegetaux@inspection.gc.ca by September 27, 2013.

Additional information

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