Project Overview

The West Brant Access Route (Oak Park Road Extension) is a proposed transportation corridor intended to improve connectivity in west Brantford, currently under Environmental Assessment review by the City.
This proposed corridor is part of the City’s broader long-term infrastructure planning and is closely connected to growth, land use, and transportation considerations that extend beyond municipal boundaries. These considerations include the Brantford Municipal Airport lands, which serve as a significant regional asset located within the County of Brant.
Decisions related to the future of the airport lands—including governance, potential boundary adjustments, and land use planning—are inherently linked to broader infrastructure initiatives such as the West Brant Access Route.
As a result, large-scale infrastructure projects of this nature require coordinated evaluation of environmental, financial, governance, and community impacts across both the City of Brantford and Brant County.

Key Concerns:

Residents across Brantford and Brant County have raised a number of important questions regarding the proposed West Brant Access Route that were not answered during the public consultation meeting held on February 26th, 2026.
The Brant Civic Accountability Association believes this meeting highlighted significant issues with the consultation process, which was not conducted properly and failed to provide residents with clear, transparent information. These matters should be carefully reviewed before significant public resources are committed to a project of this scale.

Project Status Clarification – West Brant Access Route

If a City of Brantford council vote occurs before the upcoming municipal election recommending the West Brant Access Route proceed, it does not mean construction will begin immediately. The project still requires several reviews and approvals to ensure it is safe, responsible, and sustainable.

  • Environmental Assessment Approval:
    Formal approval under Ontario’s EA process is required.
  • Independent Review:
    BCAA’s selected engineering firm will conduct an independent evaluation of the EA.
  • Provincial Oversight (P2 Review):
    A provincial Part II Order review will provide additional scrutiny of environmental, technical, and financial aspects before any further steps.

What Happens at These Steps

BCAA Independent
Review

  • The qualified engineering firm selected by BCAA will conduct an independent evaluation of the EA documentation within the review period.
  • This ensures technical rigor and an unbiased review of the design, impacts, and mitigation measures generated by the EA.

Environmental Study
Report (ESR)

  • Once the draft Study Design Report is finalized and all detailed design work under Phases 3 and 4 is complete, a formal Environmental Study Report (ESR) will be prepared.
  • The ESR documents the full EA process, findings, recommended design, and proposed mitigation strategies. It must be made available for public and agency review.

Provincial Part II Order
(P2) Review

 

 

  • After the ESR is filed, it enters a 30day public review period.
  • During that period, members of the public or stakeholders can request a Part II Order (P2) from the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to elevate the review to the provincial level, providing a deeper review of environmental, technical, or socioeconomic impacts.
  • A P2 review can only be requested during the official public review period and must be submitted in writing to the Ministry; it does not automatically happen but is triggered by requests from interested persons or groups such as BCAA.