The Ontario Government…

The Ontario Government should not have the power to exempt itself from laws it finds inconvenient. The Environmental Assessment (EA) process is there for a reason, and that is to assess the potentially catastrophic consequences on Natural Heritage features. The 413 would contribute to habitat fragmentation, which is of particular concern to herptiles in the province, many species of which are already listed under the Endangered Species Act. It will directly impact habitat for a number of Species at Risk, including Redside Dace, Redheaded Woodpecker, and Rapids Clubtail, as well as Significant Wildlife Habitat for a number of Species of Conservation Concern, including Western Chorus Frog. Roads are a source of pollutants to surrounding sensitive habitats such as wetlands, including salt, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. These can all have severe impacts on the flora and fauna within these habitats. Noise and light pollution can also have a massive impact on local wildlife. I have attached a review paper that investigates the impacts of road-related stressors on lentic environments, of which there are many within the proposed path of the 413. These impacts should be assessed under an EA process, and the impact to the Natural Heritage features in the area needs to be quantified and addressed.

The name "Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act" is, quite frankly, a joke. If the Ontario Government was actually interested in reducing gridlock in the GTA, they would be working towards returning the 407 to public ownership, or negotiating to allow transport trucks to use it for free, given that they are the source of most of the massive volume of traffic on the 401.