To the Ford Government: It…

To the Ford Government:
It is the belief of countless enviornmental activists and biology professionals that Bill 212 does not take sustainability and environmental protection into account in a productive way, and is therefore reckless and destructive. Highway projects like Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass are not going to fix any problems. In fact, the loss of vital wetland areas and wildlife habitat will be destructive in the long run. Replacign wetland areas, natural water filters and storage areas, and replacing them with concrete and other hard surfaces will make the GTA more susceptible to large flooding events such as those that were experienced this summer. Reparing the damage to infrastructure from frequent flooding will cost the government and the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. Moreover, the traffic gridlock issues that these highway projects are trying to fix could be addressed by increasing access to public transit and encouraging alternate forms of transportation such as biking. Bike lanes should be added to urban areas, not taken away as will be demanded by Bill 212 if it passes. These highway projects are unecessary, and will cause harm to human lives and wildlife habitat.

Finally, the amount of power given to the Minsiter of Transportation through Bill 212 is frightening. No one person should be able to make all those construction project decisions without proper environmental impact assessment and consultation with public groups, especially indigenous communities who are the stewards and caretakers of the land. This is a dangerous precedent and will inevitably lead to important details being overlooked in the name of getting the projects done faster.

Please reconsider Bill 212, and make human safety and environmental protection higher priorities.