Dear Ministry of…

Dear Ministry of Transportation,

Please accept these comments on the proposed regulation for a streamlined environmental assessment process for the Ministry of Transportation’s GTA West transportation corridor project.

I am firmly opposed to the proposal to exempt the GTA West highway from a full and thorough environmental assessment, and instead move to a shorter streamlined assessment. This proposal has been presented as an economic recovery measure, but will instead lock Ontario into a more polluted, less healthy future, rip through the Greenbelt, forests, and prime farmland, and waste billions of taxpayer dollars which could be spent on more effective transportation solutions for residents in the GTA West corridor.

Here are the main reasons for my opposition:

1. The highway will destroy important green spaces and prime farmland. The proposal to start with ‘early works’ like bridges is a huge problem - bridges would be built where the highway crosses streams, rivers, and other sensitive natural features. These sensitive areas are exactly the types of environments that need a full and thorough environmental assessment. Many of these areas are already protected lands as part of the Green Belt Plan (2017).

2. Experts have already determined that we don’t need this highway, and the $4-6 billion in taxpayer dollars needed to build it would be better spent on alternatives. An expert panel appointed by the provincial government determined in 2017 that the proposed Highway 413 would save drivers a mere 30-60 seconds per trip. Such a large investment during the current extreme economic downtown makes no sense in order to save minimal commuting savings, particularly for those who no longer need to commute to work daily.

3. People who live along the highway route will breathe dirtier air and suffer health impacts. Our recent modeling estimated that pollution from traffic causes almost 900 premature deaths per year in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Peel Region is already a hotspot for air pollution from vehicles, and that this pollution is worst near highways and interchanges. People who live close to highways suffer greater health impacts from air pollution, and will experience higher risk of diseases like asthma, lung cancer, childhood bronchitis, and other cardiovascular issues. The province should carry out a Health Impact Assessment to determine the health impacts of Highway 413.

4. Building Highway 413 will mean more greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles as traffic increases to fill the available space (a phenomenon known as “induced demand”). Increasing carbon pollution from transportation will move Ontario farther away from meeting its climate change goals.

5. The Province needs to take time to consider investing in alternatives to Highway 413. A better use of stimulus money would be to spend on public transit, cycling infrastructure, and goods movement solutions like giving trucks priority on Highway 407, as suggested by the Province’s expert panel. These would all create jobs and move people effectively in the region. The Province should also examine the need for increased highway capacity as commuting patterns are changing due to the pandemic and will be permanently changed post pandemic.

6. Brampton doesn’t want the highway. The 413 would go through one of the last undeveloped parts of Brampton. But, instead of a highway, Brampton City Council approved a plan to create a walkable, cycleable, 20-minute community based around a boulevard. Brampton already knows from the experience of the 410 that highways divide communities. And they don’t want another one.

7. There is not enough additional value added by having another highway parallel to the underused Highway 407, particularly on the west end where it would connect to Highway 401 and in possibly the same interchange location area as the existing Highway 401 and Highway 407 interchange????

8. This proposal is not an economic recovery strategy but rather a way to bypass provincial legislation that was developed with input from experts, public servants and citizens over a long period of time and based on scientific and engineering knowledge.

We face a critical choice with Highway 413. Do we sink $6 billion of taxpayer money into highway infrastructure that may become obsolete due to rapid changes in transportation like shared mobility or more people working from home, or do we instead invest in better options that set us up for the future? Now is not the time to waste $6 billion on Highway 413 at this time of changing mobility patterns! Period.....

We have an opportunity to cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, improve commutes, and protect important green spaces by saying no to Highway 413 and backing the alternatives. Let’s listen to the evidence we have and take the time to build back better.