The public inquiry hoping to answer questions about the safety of Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley Parkway is on hold at least until mid-July after the justice at the helm of the examination tested positive for COVID-19.
Commission Counsel Andrew Lewis revealed Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel had come down with the affliction in a brief YouTube post on Monday and wished him a “speedy recovery.”
In a social media post on Wednesday, the inquiry said it would be targeting a resumption of proceedings sometime late next week.
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Public hearings for Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley Parkway judicial inquiry have begun
The Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry (RHVPI) began in late April and is centered around a 2013 city staff report on the surface of the roadway — a document that was allegedly buried for six years.
The study, which suggested remedial action due to friction levels in some areas of the roadway being below safety standards, was received by a former city engineering director.
It is anticipated that hearings will not resume until at least mid-July due to COVID-19. The witness list and schedule for July will be updated and posted on the website once it is known when hearings can resume. https://t.co/7ngvvyzmD4
— RHVPI (@RHVPI) July 6, 2022
Since the opening of the Parkway in 2007, a number of crash victims and families of victims have contested improper design and maintenance of the parkway over the years has led to numerous incidents.
City council has long insisted the report was never shared with them.
Wilton-Siegel was appointed to direct an inquiry by councillors in May 2019.
The first part of the probe has been focused on questions tied to the construction of the parkway, friction testing conducted by Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation, consultant and staff reports as well as the discovery of the 2013 report.
At its completion, the probe is expected to cost the city between $18 and $20 million.
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