I oppose Bill 212, the…

I oppose Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024. This bill prioritizes projects dictated by the Transport Minister, disregarding community needs, environmental protections, and local autonomy.

Key concerns include:

Highway 413 and Environmental Impacts
Exempting Highway 413 from the Environmental Assessment Act removes oversight, threatening Greenbelt ecosystems, farmland, and communities while promoting suburban sprawl without addressing gridlock.

Overreach on Property Rights
Schedules 1 and 2 grant broad powers to expropriate land and relocate utilities with minimal safeguards, undermining the rights of property owners and affected communities.

Barriers to Sustainable Transportation
Schedule 4 restricts municipalities from building bike lanes if they impact car lanes, discouraging sustainable transportation options. In Toronto alone, 39 traffic fatalities occurred this year, 25 involving pedestrians or cyclists.

I urge the government to prioritize sustainable alternatives: empower municipalities to develop bike lanes, invest in public transit to reduce congestion without harming communities, and respect local decision-making.

Bill 212 prioritizes politically driven projects over long-term solutions. Please reconsider this approach to ensure infrastructure benefits all Ontarians.