I am opposed to the new…

I am opposed to the new highway development in Ontario because we must be mindful of the limits of our environment. The following points are why I am opposed:

- Based on the current mix of vehicles on the road and the carbon pollution they produce, Environmental Defence says Highway 413 will trigger 17.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide or equivalent emissions through 2050. Annual emissions would be equivalent to the energy used by 81,000 homes.
- Assuming, optimistically, that Ontario meets federal targets for electrification, total vehicle emissions by 2050 would be reduced somewhat, but only to 13 million tonnes. And in either scenario, construction would contribute 100,000 tonnes of emissions.
- Environmental Defence says transportation accounts for the largest slice of current Ontario emissions, at 35%, and Highway 413 would make it that much more difficult to achieve the province’s target of a 30% emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030.
- The road will generate substantial new emissions of air pollutants, with negative air quality and health impacts (including sickness and death) and associated costs for adjacent communities. The study projects “between $1 to $1.4 billion in cumulative damages from air pollution by 2050.”