Building Highway 413 would…

Building Highway 413 would result in many harmful environmental effects and also makes no economic sense. It would not solve traffic congestion problems due to induced demand and would create a huge opportunity cost of billions of dollars that are needed for more pressing problems that Ontario is facing. It would pave over prime farmland that will be needed in the future. Its adverse environmental effects include damaging the habitats of species at risk, putting stress on the headwaters of the Humber, Etobicoke and Credit river systems, badly damaging the Nashville Conservation Area and making downstream areas more susceptible to flooding.

Bill 212 and the Highway 413 Act would exempt the Highway 413 project from the Environmental Assessment Act. This is an irresponsible measure that will not give adequate consideration to the significant environmental harms that would result if this project proceeds. Allowing early works to proceed immediately defeats the purpose of producing a subsequent "accelerated" environmental impact assessment report" after the fact and is a thinly concealed attempt to push the project through to a stage that would preclude a future full environmental assessment by the federal government or a succeeding provincial government.

Bill 212 including the Highway 413 Act is an irresponsible piece of legislation and should be withdrawn immediately.