Major Road Construction

• Developer-Led: This project is managed by the developer (Paris Grand Estates) and their consultant (MTE), not the County.
• Cost Savings: Approved by the Province in 2017, the County negotiated terms requiring the developer to fund and build this new road.
• Key Goals: Install new storm sewers, add a sidewalk/multi-use path, and handle incoming residential traffic.
• Traffic Relief: Designed as a brand-new access route to actively divert traffic away from Paris Links Road.
• Public Impact: Minimal day-to-day disruption since it is not an existing road. Expect localized noise and truck traffic at the Silver St. / Grand River St. N. intersection.

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• Economic Boost: Extends wastewater servicing along Governors, Paris, and Oak Park roads to attract industry, projected to create 1,500 jobs.
• Business Expansion: Moves existing businesses off private septic systems and onto municipal wastewater, facilitating easier operations and expansions.
• Delays and Scope Creep: Originally delayed from 2021/2022 to avoid clashing with other construction, it expanded in scope as more area developments requested servicing connection to avoid digging up the road a second time later.
• Timeline Hurdles: The pandemic and CN Rail approval processes slowed the project down, pushing tendering to 2024. A contractor deferral from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025 further delayed progress.
• Critical Upgrade: Replacing critical underground infrastructure and improving servicing on all road sections between the CN bridge and Oak Park.
• Public Impact: Two-way traffic will be maintained for those heading east and west on Dundas St E. Those travelling on Paris Road can only head south. Detours are posted and will be updated in later summer.

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• Active Transportation: The project includes wider sidewalk, a separated pathway and pedestrian crossings.
• Planning for Growth: Paris must expand due to Province of Ontario growth designations. The project is designed to accommodate current and future traffic demands in north Paris.
• Key Goals: Replace aging underground infrastructure, handle rising traffic volumes and pedestrian safety.
• Public Services: The expansion supports a new north Paris school and a new fire hall.
• Funding Deadline: The Province provided over $9 million, which expires in 2028.
• Complications: Delays arose from land purchases, utility moves, storm outlet impacts, and adding Ann Wilson Way to the project.
• Timeline: The Environmental Assessment began in 2017. Construction started in 2023 to replace deep sanitary and water pipes. From 2024 to 2026, the County acquired property. Construction will conclude in 2028. 2026-2028 is the final stage of this massive project.
• Public Impact: Two-way free flowing traffic will be maintained for those heading north and south on Grand River St N. Some flagging may occur. Some closures will occur for those heading east/west during roundabout construction. Detours will be in place. Business access will be maintained, with the exception of coordinated short duration closures.

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• Province-Led: This project is managed entirely by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) based on their own timelines.
• Design Plan: Construction of new roundabout on- and off-ramps at Highway 403 and Rest Acres Road.
• Job Creation: Unlocks local employment lands with projections to bring 4,140 jobs to the immediate area.
• Tax Balance: Development will generate non-residential Development Charges (DCs) and tax revenue, helping keep residential tax ratios balanced.
• Public Impact: The Ministry manages the ramp closures at various times and flagging may occur on Rest Acres Road.

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• Critical Need: A major multi-year project to replace 60+ year-old infrastructure. This is a critical and functional upgrade, not a cosmetic facelift.
• Safety and Access: Redesigning the core to enhance vehicle safety, pedestrian accessibility, and the overall streetscape environment.
• Economic Success: Working to keep the downtown healthy, the County has granted over $408,000, leveraging $6.1 million in private investment since 2023.
• Thriving Core: Driven by these efforts, 12 new businesses have opened since 2025 (six in 2026 alone), dropping the downtown commercial vacancy rate from 6.6% in 2024 to a low 3.3% today.  The County is creating a downtown where businesses can thrive for decades to come.

Visit engagebrant.ca/downtowndig

If the County executed only one major project at a time, the community would face severe financial penalties, missed economic opportunities, gridlocked future traffic, and infrastructure failures.

While managing projects sequentially sounds less disruptive on the surface, splitting them up creates a compounding backlog. Here is the realistic breakdown of what would happen if the County adopted a one-at-a-time approach:

1. Forfeiting Millions in Provincial Funding

• The Reality: Senior levels of government tie infrastructure grants to strict expiration dates.
• The Consequence: The Province gave over $9 million for Grand River St. N. with a hard 2028 deadline. If the County paused that project to finish another one first, that $9 million would be forfeited.
• The Impact: Local property taxpayers would have to pay the remaining balance to complete the work later.

2. Violating Provincial Growth Mandates

• The Reality: The Province of Ontario legally designates Paris as a growth area and grants developers the right to build (such as the 2017 Paris Grand Estates approval).
• The Consequence: The County cannot halt approved housing developments while it works on a single road elsewhere.
• The Impact: Forcing a developer to wait years to build a mandated access route like Bendemere Road would trigger costly legal battles and lawsuits against the County for breach of planning timelines.

3. Missing the Window on Partner Timelines (Ministry of Transportation and Developers)

• The Reality: The County does not control the schedule for projects led by outside partners, like the Ministry of Transportation's (MTO) Highway 403/Rest Acres ramp project or developer-led builds.
• The Consequence: If the Ministry or Paris Grand Estates is ready to build and fund their infrastructure now, the County cannot force them to wait.
• The Impact: Turning down outside funding or coordination means missing the window entirely, leaving Paris with failing access points once the new homes and employment lands open.

4. Major Economic Stagnation and Lost Jobs

• The Reality: Delays on the Dundas St. E. directly block the installation of wastewater lines needed for commercial and industrial zones. Delays on Rest Acres Rd and Highway 403 for necessary traffic improvements directly block new job creation.
• The Consequence: Existing local businesses would remain on private septic systems, preventing them from expanding.  New business development would not be permitted until traffic capacity is acceptable.
• The Impact: The projected 5,640 new jobs (1,500 at Oak Park and 4,140 at Rest Acres) would go to neighboring municipalities instead. The County of Brant would lose out on vital non-residential tax revenues, forcing residential property taxes to increase to cover basic municipal operations.

5. Risk of Infrastructure Failure

• The Reality: Underground systems like the 60+ year-old sanitary lines under downtown Paris are at the end of their operational lifespan.
• The Consequence: Pushing the Downtown Dig down a decades-long waiting list means leaving fragile pipes in the ground.
• The Impact: A major sewer collapse in the core would cause emergency road closures, property flooding, and business shutdowns. Emergency repairs cost significantly more than planned construction and cause last minute, uncoordinated disruptions.

6. Proactive Replacement Limits Risk

• The Reality: Downtown Paris and Grand River Street North contain some of the County’s largest and most important water and wastewater infrastructure. The pipes are the connections under the Grand and Nith River from Paris’ large water treatment plant in the north and the wastewater treatment plant in the south.
• The Need: Major infrastructure on busy roads is prioritized for replacement ahead of road or pipe failures to ensure service disruptions are planned and minimized.
• The Impact: A sewer or water break on the large infrastructure could cause emergency road closures, property damage, and business shutdowns. Emergency repairs cost significantly more than planned construction and cause uncoordinated disruptions.

7. Coordinating Replacing Old Pipes and Traffic Impacts

• Planning Major Closures: Paris is unique, it has some of the highest traffic volumes but very few alternate routes. When a main road is closed, traffic can’t simply be redirected to the next street over, which causes wider disruptions in the community.
• Our Major Roads Need Work: The infrastructure in Paris is aging, and several major corridors; Willow Street, Grand River Street South, and Grand River Street North will need both road and pipe replacements in the next 5 to 10 years.
• Planned Closures: The County is carefully planning this work to coordinate upgrades, keep roads in good condition, and reduce the overall impact on the community as much as possible.