BREAKING: Secret documents show how Ontario chose developers over Greenbelt

From Environmental Defence
By Lana Goldberg, Program Manager, Ontario Climate

A new freedom of information request reported in the Toronto Star¹ has uncovered secret documents showing that the Ontario government deliberately chose a route for Highway 413 that would cause “maximum incursions” into the Greenbelt, farmland and wildlife habitat.

This is a scandal!!

The government had a choice between running the proposed highway through a developer’s planned sprawl subdivision in North Kleinberg, or a more damaging route that would cut through the Nashville Conservation Reserve and the headwaters of the Humber River.

And guess what? Once again the government chose developers over protecting the Greenbelt.

Not only does the government’s preferred route cause the maximum damage to the Greenbelt, water sources and fish and wildlife habitat, it is the least cost effective option as well. The province’s own consultants said that pursuing this route would actually “undermine the credibility of the entire route selection process.”

It could not be more clear who really benefits from this highway – and it is not the people of Ontario.

Ontario’s next provincial election is just six weeks away, and this highway is one of the key issues facing voters. We asked each of the main provincial parties whether they would cancel Highway 413, and this is what they said:

Despite massive opposition from local communities and municipalities, the current Ontario government still insists that this expensive and unnecessary highway should be built – but they’re in the minority.

Original project estimates show that Highway 413 would cost upwards of $6 Billion – maybe as much as $10 Billion – while saving drivers only 30 seconds on average across the region. It would destroy hundreds of acres of Greenbelt, thousands more of farmland, and cut across rivers and streams more than 80 times.

The highway was originally cancelled by the previous government because it was found that there were more cost effective ways to reduce congestion, including expanded access to public transit and making better use of the existing Highway 407.

This election is our best chance to cancel Highway 413 once and for all, and protect our Greenbelt, farmland, and rivers. Visit our website to learn more about the choices facing Ontario this June.

P.S. Have you taken action to say No to Highway 413? Click here to tell the Ontario government to Stop the 413.

1. Toronto Star, April 18, 2022: ‘Doug Ford’s government picked a route for Highway 413 its own experts said would ‘undermine the credibility’ of the project. Local residents are baffled‘ (paywall)