Debate rages over Canadian Tire distribution centre in Caledon

Canadian Tire‘s green lit $300-million distribution complex in Caledon will bring an economic boost to the area that some say is more trouble than it’s worth.

The project, some fear, could  seriously affect local traffic, place heavy demand on infrastructure and impact the area’s reputation.

According to The Town of Caledon, Canadian Tire’s new facility, which is moving from Brampton, will have “a significant economic benefit for the Town, Region and Province.”

The new distribution centre is expected to generate $9.5 million in various revenues: $6.5 million in development charges, $700,000 in building permit revenues, as well as commercial property tax revenues and other expenses.

“By helping this centre relocate, we will help retain over 1,000 jobs and create up to 460 jobs in the Region of Peel,” Brampton MPP Linda Jeffrey told YourMississaugaBiz.com, adding that the new facility should create 350 construction jobs and up to 110 permanent new jobs.

In addition to the distribution centre, the facility will include about 100,000 square feet of office space and potential spinoff businesses.

But that isn’t enough to appease some residents, who worry about increased congestion, lower air quality and around-the-clock traffic due to transportation vehicles on Highway 50.

Residents are also unhappy that the future location of the Canadian Tire’s facility is one kilometre away from St. Nicholas Elementary School and the surrounding residential neighbourhood.

However, an 18-page report released by the Town of Caledon mid-June said that noise levels from the project, even under the worst-case scenario, still need to fall within the noise guidelines set by the Ministry of the Environment.

An air quality assessment also said all the diesel truck and employee vehicle operations at the site would be within the Provincial air quality criteria near the distribution facility except for benzene and benzo(a)pyrene.

According to the report, “findings indicate that the long-term cumulative levels at the nearby residences will not be significantly affected by the facility and will not be significantly different from those at any other residential locations in many other parts of southern Ontario.”