I have significant concerns…

I have significant concerns about Bill 212 and the included Building Highways Faster Act and the Highway 413 Act, as well as the amendments to other Acts with respect to highways. Nearly every municipal and regional council from along Highway 413’s proposed route has voted to either oppose the highway altogether, or to request a full environmental assessment from the federal government. I believe the provincial government is intentionally putting emphasis on the polarizing discussion of bike lanes and tapping into collective frustration with traffic (caused by a lack of alternative transit options, not bike lanes) by targeting bike infrastructure, particularly in Toronto, to draw attention away from other sections of the bill. Bike lanes account for a small portion of this bill, yet it is the “hot button issue” that dominates the discussion and presentation of the bill to the public. While I could support a just and fair expropriation process that seeks to address individualistic or greedy opposition to important, viable, and sustainable infrastructure projects (especially that address affordability and accessibility for low-income citizens such as high-speed commuter rail), this should not be tied to bypassing environmental assessments, supporting expensive car-dependent sprawl, and ripping up much-needed alternative transportation infrastructure.

Bill 212 is unprecedented jurisdictional overreach that will impact the safety of all road users. This will not reduce gridlock, save money, or improve the quality of life of Ontarians. Highway 413 will not reduce congestion, and internal documents from the ministry of transportation indicate that even if it is built, significant gridlock will persist. You should not build another highway when the 407 is already underutilized, and expected to remain underutilized according to your own government documents. The government has not stated that the 413 will not be tolled or sold to private interest, telling since this bill also contains amendments to the Building Broadband Faster Act, allowing for expropriation along highways for broadband projects that would support the infrastructure needed to toll highways. If that is the government’s plan, they should be clear about their intentions in the bill.

The province’s auditor general found that it would likely cost more than $4 billion, with the opposition saying it is closer to $10 billion of taxpayer money! I have significant doubts that Highway 413 would save any significant time and the government has not sufficiently proven any estimates; in fact, many experts believe it will save drivers less than 1 minute… I do not want to spend billions to save 30-60 seconds! Highway 413 and other such projects are merely another way for the government to put developers ahead of its constituents, opening up the land around the highway to car-dependent development that will generate more traffic and congestion, increasing our environmental impact and continuing to put financial pressure on us as we are reliant on having a car to get anywhere (gas, insurance, maintenance costs are continuing to go up!) If you want to connect the province, increase accessibility, ease the financial burden on individuals, and reduce gridlock, invest in non-commercial railways and high-speed commuter rail today. We need viable transportation alternatives, not more of the same!

The government must get serious about reducing gridlock; we need massive public transit infrastructure with dedicated transit lanes that use priority signalling, municipal streets with alternative means of mobility (like separated protected bike infrastructure), and more secure pedestrian pathways to prevent deadly accidents within our cities and make them economic centres full of vibrant destinations. Instead of more highways that induce more car traffic and are a taxpayer money sink, you must build out our local trains and a high-speed rail corridor, which would be more efficient at transporting more people (and money) into cities at more reasonable maintenance costs.