One year since Bill 212 paved the way for environmentally destructive Highway 413
“I can’t see why we have to destroy the Greenbelt when there are thousands of acres within [the] metropolitan area of Toronto, which are empty or brownfields,” Assunta Marcolongo, a long-time member of the grassroots group STOP the 413 NOW, says.
On a freezing, rainy morning last week, November 21, 79-year-old Marcolongo travelled an hour-and-a-half by transit to join a small group of STOP the 413 NOW members rallying outside Bellvue Manor in Vaughan, where Premier Doug Ford was speaking. They were determined to make their opposition to Highway 413 and Bill 5, dubbed the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, heard.
She came to Canada from Switzerland 56 years ago and still remembers the country she arrived in: confident, forward-thinking, a place that prided itself on strong planning and public services.
“And now, we are at least 20 years behind in infrastructure building and public transit,” Marcolongo tells The Pointer.
Many of the controversial laws and projects pushed by the PC government have become regular dinner table topics for her and her family.
STOP the 413 NOW members Assunta Marcolongo and Melanie Duckett-Wilson rallying outside Bellvue Manor in Vaughan on November 21.
(Anushka Yadav/The Pointer)
Her son, Mike Marcolongo, is the associate director of Environmental Defence (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree).
Why does she keep showing up, even in freezing rain, at nearly 80 years old?
“It is for my grandchildren,” she says with a smile on her face…while her eyes remain heavy with worry.
On November 20, 2024, Ford celebrated his 60th birthday. Five days later, Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, was pushed through to fast-track construction of Highway 413.
There were no Indigenous consultations or environmental assessments.
The proposed route for Highway 413 cuts through areas that critics say are not major commuter corridors but prime real estate for developers who stand to gain hundreds of millions of dollars from nearby land holdings. Transportation experts and urban planners warn that new highways worsen congestion due to induced demand, where more roads simply encourage more driving.
(Environmental Defence)
It took a month for the PC government to get the “highways to hell” legislation passed in Queen’s Park. Ford had promised he was willing to do “anything and everything” to get Highway 413 built.
Why?
After the Greenbelt land swap scandal played out on news screens and websites across the province, Ford fell back on his go-to plan pushed by developers for almost a decade. They had started to gobble up land along the proposed 413 corridor, and all Ford had to do was get the highway approved, which would eventually open up a “Big chunk” of the Greenbelt, a promise he made to them in the run-up to the 2018 election. His vow to builders, in exchange for helping him win, was caught on camera.
Ford’s popularity took a hit two years ago when the land-swap scandal broke. PC staffers had acted on developers’ instructions, allowing Greenbelt lands they acquired to be approved for residential development. The matter is currently under criminal investigation by the RCMP.
Critics knew that even without the land-swap scheme, Highway 413 would drastically inflate the value of the properties purchased by developers.
“Bill 212’s just the tip of the iceberg for what’s happened since [it became law],” Mike Marcolongo told The Pointer.
Residents walked along the Highway 413 route in Caledon to protest the highway plan, which will destroy valuable farmland.
(Alexis Wright/The Pointer)
He believes Bill 212 was a “precursor” to two subsequent and equally controversial pieces of legislation, Bill 5, which passed on June 5, 2025, and Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, which just passed yesterday, November 24.
Bill 212 and Bill 60 target cyclists and the municipalities trying to build safe bike networks, while Bill 212 and Bill 5 paired up to undercut environmental protections in the rush to build the houses developers are itching to profit from.
Bill 60 opens the door to water privatization, restricts municipalities from reducing car lanes for the purpose of adding bike lanes and prohibits dedicated bus rapid transit lanes on existing residential streets.
The moves were made with minimal public consultation and while Ford tried to distract Ontarians with issues like eliminating speed enforcement cameras by trampling on the authority of municipalities.
Under Bill 60, the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, 2025, gives the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the authority to appoint corporations incorporated under the Business Corporations Act to take over water and sewage services for certain lower-tier municipalities. “These changes appear to be another example of Premier Ford’s privatization agenda—prioritizing corporate interests over essential public services. Water is a human right. We can’t sit back and allow this government to make it a commodity,” Environmental Defence’s Water Program Manager Rebecca Kolarich said.
(Government of Ontario)
Bill 60 makes it illegal for municipalities to remove or reallocate any existing car lane to create a bike lane, which is one of the primary methods cities rely on to build safe cycling infrastructure. Because the Highway Traffic Act defines a “highway” as virtually any public street, avenue, bridge, square or roadway used by the public, the restriction applies across almost every road in Ontario.
(Legislative Assembly of Ontario)
“Banning surface bus lanes would also jeopardize many of the hundreds of thousands of mid-rise and four-plex apartments recently pre-approved by municipalities like Toronto and Hamilton, which are the only realistic path to ending Ontario’s housing shortage,” Environmental Defence’s Ontario Environment Program Manager Phil Pothen said in a statement.
“By jeopardizing plans for bus rapid transit and zero-parking homes within existing suburbs, Bill 60’s amendments to the Highway Traffic Act and Planning Act would also swamp any gains from a promised- and long overdue- review of the Ontario Building Code.”
Bill 212, on the other hand, amended the Highway Traffic Act to prevent cities from installing bike lanes where vehicle lanes would have to be reallocated. It also opened the door to forcibly removing existing bike lanes.
“Municipalities are required, in certain circumstances, to obtain the Minister’s approval before constructing bicycle lanes or to provide the Minister with information relating to existing bicycle lanes,” a provision in the legislation stated.
An amendment added 10 days after the bill was introduced on October 21 by transportation minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria went a step further, directing the removal of 19 kilometres of bike lanes on major Toronto corridors.
On January 25, cyclists and advocates from Brampton and Toronto gathered at the Brampton Innovation District GO parking lot and rode to transportation minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s constituency office, where they chained a ghost bike across the street to symbolize the injuries and fatalities they fear will result from Bill 212’s removal of bike lanes.
In 2024, cyclist fatalities went up by 100 percent and pedestrian deaths rose 82 percent compared to 2023, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). By October 2024, the province had recorded 296 road deaths, with cyclists and pedestrians making up a significant share of the toll.
“Seven cyclists have been killed in Toronto in 2024, and that’s unfortunately a record. And we’ve seen more and more deaths in the outer suburbs, we’ve placed ghost bikes in Brampton, in Oakville. This has got to stop; something needs to be done,” Jun Nogami, a member of Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, told The Pointer on January 25, 2025.
(David Laing)
Three days later, the Province announced it had hired an engineering firm to design plans for reinstating vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street, and University Avenue.
Shortly after, Ford confirmed that Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont had accepted his recommendation to dissolve the 43rd Parliament of Ontario, triggering an early provincial election for February 27, with the dissolution taking effect at 4 p.m. that same day.
On December 11, 2024, Cycle Toronto, Eva Stanger-Ross, and Narada Kiondo filed a Section 7 Charter challenge calling Bill 212 “Ontario’s anti-bike lane law” and arguing it puts lives at risk by forcing the removal of safe infrastructure. Under pressure, the Province pledged not to attempt any removals before the spring of 2025.
When Cycle Toronto sought an injunction to stop removals altogether, the courts initially declined, but documents disclosed in the case showed the Province knew its legislation was arbitrary, lacked evidence and would make streets significantly less safe.
The province said legislative amendments made through Bill 212 are expected to fight gridlock, which is costing the provincial economy an estimated $11 billion annually. This is in stark contrast to what documents from Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation reflect: historically, cycling has been shown to have a positive impact on congestion as introducing bike lanes encourages biking and discourages car use, whereas there is concern that Bill 212 “may not reduce congestion”.
(Ontario Superior Court of Justice)
The full case was heard on April 16 this year. On July 30, in a landmark ruling, the Ontario Superior Court found the PC government’s actions unconstitutional.
The ruling from Justice Paul Schabas noted government decisions that knowingly increase the risk of harm to vulnerable road users violate Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The ruling affirmed that public safety must be a guiding principle in policymaking and that the government cannot deliberately make streets more dangerous, particularly when the measures will not reduce traffic congestion, its stated goal.
Cycle Toronto’s Executive Director, Michael Longfield, called the decision “a full win”.
“We won on the facts and on the law. The court accepted our argument that the government’s actions increased the risk of harm to Ontarians,” Longfield said.
Instead of learning from the lesson, the Ford government doubled down with Bill 60, restricting municipalities’ ability to manage their streets and barring the creation of new bike lanes that depend on road reconfiguration.
“This is a government wasting your tax dollars by doubling down on a bad-faith culture war that will only make congestion worse while putting people’s lives at risk,” Longfield said.
“For folks frustrated driving in our cities, Doug Ford knows you’re not stuck in traffic because of bike lanes. Where is the same focus and intensity from the province on real solutions like opening the endlessly delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT?”
The years-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT missed its most recent target of opening to the public in September.
This month, Scarborough Southwest MP Doly Begum pressed Sarkaria during Question Period as well as a Committee Hearing, asking about the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
“Will the Eglinton Crosstown open in 2025…just say yes or no,” Begum said.
“My direction to Metrolinx is we will open it when there is a safe and reliable system,” Sarkaria answered.
“When will that be?,” Begum asked.
“When we continue to get through the testing, as we have done on Finch West LRT, we need to see those tests passed…I have the confidence in Metrolinx and their team to do that,” Sarkaria said.
Begum questioned if that would be in the first three months of 2026.
To each question put up by the MP, the transportation minister repeated the same answer: “We will continue to test the system, and when that is completed…when the system is safe and reliable…and we are satisfied that they can hold passengers, then we will move forward to opening.”
During Question Period on November 18, Sarkaria pointed to the opening of Mount Dennis GO Station, which is located on the Crosstown corridor, as evidence of “incremental steps” toward full service, noting that commuters can now reach Union Station in 16 minutes using the Kitchener line or UP Express.
But Begum pushed back.
“Before the minister and the government pat themselves on the back, I just want to make sure you all understand that two stations opened for GO. The Eglinton Crosstown station opened for GO and UP Express, yet the LRT itself has no opening date,” she said, reminding that the government had already blown its latest September as well as October deadline and paused testing due to Metrolinx’s own mistakes, including major construction deficiencies and tracks that were built incorrectly.
“Metrolinx is clearly withholding information, and Metrolinx has been doing this for so long. Ontarians are so fed up,” Begum added.
Highway 413 has had the same fate with no details released about either the timeline or the cost of the 59-kilometre highway.
On August 27, Ford, alongside Caledon Mayor Annette Groves, who had once opposed the projects but ultimately aligned herself with the Premier, announced that construction was “beginning” on the controversial highway—a misleading claim.
Both Ford and Sarkaria made sweeping and widely questioned claims during the announcement, asserting that Highway 413 would cut commute times by up to 30 minutes, generate over $1 billion in GDP during construction, and create more than 6,000 jobs a year.
The highway runs roughly 52 kilometres between the Highway 401/407 interchange near Milton and Highway 400 in Vaughan, largely skirting the northern and northwestern edges of the GTA, bypassing major employment and population centers like downtown Toronto, Mississauga, and central Brampton, where the bulk of daily commuter traffic originates and terminates. The highway will run roughly through the corridor highlighted in light yellow. The dark blue route uses existing highways to get commuters between the two ends, where the highway would start and stop.
(Google Satellite)
Environmental Defence executive director Tim Gray pointed out that the proposed route for Highway 413 already fails to address the most heavily congested commuter corridors in the region, and questioned how “increasing gridlock, longer commute times, and reduced productivity” could possibly help the province compete with the U.S., as Ford has claimed, when “there’s no path to solving this without massive investment in public transit.”
In 2017, the GTA West Advisory Panel appointed by the Ontario Liberals had warned that the proposed Highway 413 would shave off barely 30 to 60 seconds per trip, leading to the project being shelved in 2018.
The panel instead recommended a more cost-effective alternative: use toll incentives to shift traffic, especially heavy trucks, onto the underutilized Highway 407, which already runs parallel to the proposed 413 route, just 15 kilometres to the south.
“The underused Highway 407 follows the same east-west route as the proposed 413, which would run just 15 km south of the 407. A better solution to reduce traffic on Highway 401, and to save truckers time and money, would be to get trucks onto the 407,” a 2023 Environmental Defence report highlighted.
The Ford government has been hinting at the possibility of buying back Highway 407 for over a year.
“All options are on the table — maybe both…We’ll conduct a feasibility study, look at the 407, and determine which direction we’re going,” Ford said in a press conference on October 2, 2024.
In May, the highway’s owners told The Pointer that no discussions about a buyback had taken place.
“We regularly meet with the Ontario government to explore opportunities to alleviate congestion across the region, though we’ve not been engaged in any conversations about a buyback,” the owners clarified.
In July 2020, the PCs proposed exempting the GTA West (Highway 413) project from a full environmental assessment before beginning “early works”, without clearly defining what that work would involve.
Regulatory agencies warned this lack of clarity made it difficult to ensure protection for natural heritage features, such as fish habitats and migratory bird corridors. Early works could include watercourse crossings and bridge construction, yet no communication occurred with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans regarding potential impacts.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) warned that Section 28 of the Conservation Authorities Act, normally applied to floodplain development, would not apply, leaving no clear mechanism to protect life, property, or natural resources during the detailed design phase.
Environmental experts criticized the approach for undermining the Environmental Assessment Act and weakening Ontario’s environmental safeguards.
With every year, the PC government steadily chipped away at the powers of conservation authorities themselves, opening the floodgates to unchecked development and “ecological insanity”.
On December 8, 2020, Bill 229, the Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act, received royal assent and amended the Conservation Authorities Act to let the government use Ministerial Zoning Orders to compel conservation authorities to approve developments despite flooding concerns and required authorities to enter agreements with developers, allowing them to pay fees in exchange for the destruction of endangered species habitats.
On November 28, 2022, the province passed Bill 23, dubbed the More Homes Built Faster Act, repealing 36 regulations that once gave CAs the authority to oversee projects affecting rivers, wetlands, and floodplains. What was framed as a plan to speed up housing quickly became a mechanism that weakened decades of environmental safeguards.
On October 31, the province announced plans to amalgamate its 36 conservation authorities into seven regional bodies under a new centralized agency called the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA), a decision PC officials claim is meant to speed up housing and infrastructure projects, but environmental scientists, municipal leaders and legal experts contend it could dismantle decades of watershed protection.
One of the key hurdles for Highway 413 has been the concerns of the highway cutting directly through one of Ontario’s most ecologically sensitive corridors, where Greenbelt lands, wetlands, and watersheds create critical habitat for people, flora, and fauna including endangered and at-risk species such as Redside Dace, Blanding’s Turtle, Butternut, Wood Thrush, Red-headed Woodpecker, and the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee.
Bill 5 dismantles key environmental protections by scrapping the once gold standard Endangered Species Act in favour of a hollow Species Conservation Act that eliminates meaningful safeguards for at-risk wildlife and the consolidation of conservation authorities weakens oversight of watersheds and floodplains, leaving vulnerable ecosystems at greater risk.
In 2024, when the Ford government announced plans to begin building Highway 413 by 2025, the project lacked a final design, a completed environmental assessment, and a scheduled opening date.
The federal government had been considering a full impact assessment due to the highway’s potential damage to environmentally sensitive habitats and Indigenous heritage, but ultimately dismissed the idea on April 15, 2024, instead setting up a task force to work alongside the province.
Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault told The Narwhal that Ottawa’s hands were tied: a court challenge could further hollow out the Impact Assessment Act, already partially struck down by a Supreme Court ruling in 2023.
“Either we came to an agreement with Ontario, or we would have lost in court. What choice did I have? Not a whole lot,” Guilbeault said in April 2024, framing the move as damage control, a way to safeguard what remained of federal oversight while avoiding a legal fight.
Between April 2024 and September this year, the federal-provincial working group held 13 meetings, along with 12 additional meetings by the fisheries and terrestrial technical working groups.
“The working group will continue to meet until Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have either made decisions on authorizations or permits or have reached consensus with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation within their respective mandates in relation to the project,” a statement from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada noted.
But the process continues to remain opaque, with little indication of progress to prevent harm to nearly 30 species at risk. Environmental lawyer Laura Bowman shared she had spoken to federal officials involved in the working group in January who expressed frustration with the province “not effectively engaging” or simply providing minimal updates, leaving them reliant on media reports.
“They don’t seem to have much faith in the working group process,” Bowman said.
On October 21 last year, Environmental Defence wrote a letter to Guilbeault requesting that Highway 413 and its associated transmission infrastructure be designated for a federal Impact Assessment.
Two days before Christmas, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) president Terence Hubbard made the decision to not designate Highway 413 for a full federal review.
Mike Marcolongo says the decision was “very deflating”, coming before Donald Trump’s win when Liberal fortunes were still low, and though he had hoped the Liberals’ return to power would bring stronger leadership on climate issues and species at risk, “the jury's still out on those on those two”.
Newly released federal briefing documents obtained by The Narwhal revealed Highway 413 appearing on a confidential list of 17 major projects identified by federal officials this March, under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push for “permitting and regulatory efficiency” and potential fast-tracking through the Major Projects Office. Whether this is a strategic move to pacify provincial leaders before shelving the project or a sign that the highway is edging closer to approval remains uncertain.
“Where the project government is absconding from the responsibilities, there is really a hope that the federal government does step up and the reality is the fight is not over,” Marcolongo said.
He believes despite Ontario’s repeal and weakening of key environmental protections, the federal government still has a critical role through permitting under laws like the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act.
The ministry overseeing the highway project has yet to apply for these federal permits, meaning that federal safeguards remain in place. Even though, the Impact Assessment Act is widely regarded as the gold standard other federal legislation continue to offer protection, giving advocates reason to remain hopeful.
“The federal bureaucracy and especially the scientists who work for that bureaucracy, they don't work for the Premier of Ontario, and so they're respecting those processes,” Marcolongo said.
“We still remain optimistic, especially around the routing of this highway, which is quite egregious.”
In November, 121 scientists sent a letter to then–Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault, criticizing the “absence of federal action” on Highway 413 and warning that the project, which cuts through and borders Ontario’s Greenbelt, could harm at least 29 species at risk protected under provincial and federal laws. The highway could also impact roughly 122 bird species covered by the Migratory Birds Convention Act and disrupt fish habitats in over 100 waterways protected by the Fisheries Act.
(The Pointer Files)
The highway can harm at least 29 species protected under the federal Species at Risk Act, according to a University of Guelph study by biologists Karl Heide and Ryan Norris. An investigation by The Pointer using the Province’s own Natural Heritage Mapping System confirmed the same number of at-risk species.
A federal protection order under the Species at Risk Act, originally due by January 25 this year was adopted in March, prohibiting habitat destruction in mapped areas where both the threatened American eel and the endangered Redside Dace live, including major sections of the Humber River and other waterways crossed by the planned Highway 413, making it illegal to build the parts of the highway that cross them.
In a presentation obtained through an Ecojustice Freedom of Information (FOI) request, The Pointer learned that during the advisory group's December 2024 meeting that the project would “directly” impact 52 watercourses that support the fish.
A government briefing on Highway 413 from the advisory group, obtained by Ecojustice through a Freedom of Information request, revealed that the highway would affect seven provincially significant wetlands, 22 significant woodlands, five significant valleylands, one environmentally sensitive area, and pose risks to 12 species at risk.
(Government of Ontario)
“This isn’t nature versus highways, it’s nature versus developers.” Marcolongo said.
“The question is, is the premier defending Ontarians’ interests…or prioritizing those calling and donating to his government? It’s deeply disappointing.”
On August 27, the PCs promoted what they called the start of construction, which is not the highway itself but is limited to so-called “early works” or small-scale infrastructure projects, carefully picked to dodge the need for federal approvals, not the highway itself.
Early works in Caledon include resurfacing a stretch of Highway 10, from just south of Old School Road to near Forks of the Credit Road, under a contract awarded to Mississauga-based Pave-Al Limited, and engineering design is underway for a new bridge that will eventually span the future Highway 413.
Separate upgrades at the Highway 401/407 interchange, the planned western terminus of Highway 413, have been awarded to Fermar Paving Limited.
When asked how contracts for these early works were awarded and what the overall construction cost would be, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) told The Pointer they were selected through a “competitive open tender process” and that overall costs are kept confidential “to protect the integrity of the tendering process for future construction contracts.”
But with early works contracts already awarded, it remains unclear how revealing the construction cost could compromise any future tenders.
Marcolongo makes another interesting observation: the language of “early works” has vanished from official statements. Instead, the narrative had shifted to “we’re building the highway,” even though federal permits for construction had not been applied for and essential contracts for early works were incomplete.
He compares it to a homeowner claiming to build a house after only constructing a front porch and side entrance and calling it a complete project.
Internal documents obtained by Environmental Defence and shared with The Pointer reveal the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), detailing the preliminary design of the Highway 413 project, was expected to be finalized by late summer 2025.
In early December last year, the province announced it had completed 90 percent of the preliminary design work for Highway 413, identifying 113 full and 57 partial properties that are no longer needed for construction, with the remaining land slated for release starting this year.
The Pointer asked Caledon residents whether anyone had received expropriation notices but found none as of late November. Environmental Defence’s network of local residents and community advocates also reported no signs of construction at key sites where land clearing or grading should have begun.
“There's some expropriation that's ongoing at this point in time. Our understanding is that it's a fraction of what's required,” Marcolongo said.
“As part of the expropriation process…there are certain confidentiality clauses, so folks aren’t very vocal about what's going on.”
Internal documents shared with The Pointer shine light on the timeline of the project, wherein provincial bureaucrats have admitted that actual construction of the highway won’t begin for another three years, Marcolongo stressed.
And once it begins, the project is expected to take at least a decade to finish, The Narwhal reported in 2024.
The cost of the highway remains a mystery as well. In 2022, Ontario’s Auditor General projected Highway 413 would cost at least $4 billion while opposition parties and groups like Environmental Defence estimate the true cost could soar to $6 to $12 billion as inflation and construction expenses rise.
Just weeks before the recent announcement, internal documents obtained by Global News highlighted that Ford considered altering a significant portion of the highway to accommodate a request from a Canadian developer whose firms own multiple properties in Caledon.
A confidential “advice to government” briefing showed the highway could have been realigned by roughly 600 metres, eliminating or relocating the planned Chinguacousy Road interchange entirely, to avoid cutting through planned housing developments.
The suggested developer-proposed changes, which mirrored a submission from the developer in April 2024, would have cleared land for nearly 2,500 residential units, commercial space, parkland, and schools, primarily benefiting two properties owned by Nick Cortellucci’s development companies.
An internal document cautioned that any realignment would necessitate extensive additional fieldwork, consultations, and design revisions, delaying the highway by at least a year and prompting a reassessment of the overall project timeline, including legislative amendments to the Highway 413 Act, since the new route would extend beyond the defined study area.
Like poison seeping through the veins, developers can quietly infiltrate a democratic system, influencing decisions at provincial and municipal levels without visible signs until the consequences spread.
The motion instructed the Town’s Director of Engineering to enter into a grading agreement with a “prominent developer within Caledon and the Greater Toronto Area,” opening the door for development interests to flow unchecked through municipal decision-making.
The motion was passed in a vote on May 20, around 9 p.m., during a meeting where only three residents were able to raise concerns during the question period, and amendments were added to require traffic, water, and other related studies. Among the councillors who voted in favour, Ward 5 councillor Tony Rosa received a $1,200 campaign contribution from Nicola Cortellucci. Ward 1 Councillor Christina Early received the same amount (she voted alongside the residents in opposition) according to the Town’s 2022 candidate results and financial statements.
(Town of Caledon)
Who was this “prominent developer”?
Nick Cortellucci, who, according to Groves, contributed more than $25,000 to her Mayor’s Ball gala.
By August, she was standing beside Ford in support of Highway 413, abandoning one of her key campaign promises to oppose the project and protect the natural beauty of what was once one of Ontario’s greenest towns.
The Mayor’s actions contrasted a motion approved by Caledon council and put forward by Councillor Doug Maskell on November 12, 2024, opposing the construction of “Highway 413 under the conditions of Bill 212,” warning it would harm residents and “voiceless” wildlife by cutting through at least four watersheds, destroying habitats, raising emissions, disturbing 44 heritage sites and allowing 24/7 construction.
“We need people to wake up,” STOP the 413 NOW member Sarah told The Pointer. “We need to protect ourselves from the government who are here to serve the people they owe.”
She snickered at Ford making claims to “Protect Ontario” when all he has done is “remove all democratic rights and change the laws to suit the wealthy”.
Bowman warns the Ford government seems to be generating momentum to make Highway 413 politically and financially difficult to halt.
“It appears to be a very deliberate move: to either start construction or at least appear to be starting construction, and then use that momentum to pressure the federal government to authorize the remainder of the highway,” she said, noting the project is far from a “done deal.”
“Some of these early works are just interchanges or overpasses at existing roads, like at Highway 410 or a boulevard connection. These can be constructed independently of the rest of the highway.”
Despite the PC government insisting that no federal approvals are needed for the early works, documents obtained through FOI requests by Ecojustice, and shared with The Pointer, suggest otherwise.
“There was correspondence where the province told the federal government, ‘we’re going ahead without your authorization,’ and the federal agencies replied saying, ‘we still need evidence that these works don’t trigger federal jurisdiction.’ But the province wasn’t willing to provide that evidence,” she explained, noting the province might be violating federal law.
“They’re spending money upfront, locking in massive costs for interchanges and other structures, before the highway is even fully approved. What happens if federal authorizations are delayed or rescinded? These isolated early works may sit unused for decades, incurring maintenance costs without delivering public benefit.”
Money and deception aren’t the only issues haunting Ontario. With climate change pressing like a relentless dark shadow, the Ford government has pushed the province into a sleep paralysis by abandoning all sustainability measures, removing emissions targets, public reporting, and a climate plan.
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario, accounting for roughly one-third of the total and with post-pandemic commuting surges and Ford’s back-to-office mandates increasing road traffic, it is one of the few sectors where emissions have risen rapidly, ironically fueling the push for more highways.
The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario, transportation is a major contributor to smog-producing air contaminants, leading to health issues and significant annual costs.
(Environment and Climate Change Canada)
This is particularly troubling for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) where transportation is the second largest source of emissions, and makes up 37 percent of all GTHA emissions, “caused mostly by personal vehicle use,” a recent report by The Atmospheric Fund noted.
The transportation sector generates 37 percent of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s emissions and is the second-highest-emitting sector in the region after buildings. Transportation emissions increased in Durham (up 1.5 percent), Hamilton (up 2.1 percent), Toronto (up 2.7 percent), and York (up 0.3 percent). Halton and Peel saw slight decreases of 0.3 percent and 0.5 percent.
(The Atmospheric Fund)
A consulting firm hired by Environmental Defence found Highway 413 alone would pump an extra 700,000 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every year, adding up to 17.4 million tonnes by 2050.
The Greenbelt, on the other hand, sequesters approximately 0.55 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and stores a total of roughly 261 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent in its forests, wetlands, and agricultural soils.
Polling by The Greenbelt Foundation found 84 percent of Ontarians see the Greenbelt as one of the most important contributions of our generation to the future of Ontario and yet, the province has provided no update on the Greenbelt review that was supposed to take place this year.
On November 23, Guelph-based artist Sheila Thompson showcased a 40-inch disc of 14 Greenbelt versus Moneybelt scenarios at an exhibition, celebrating the Greenbelt and the mounting pressures on the world's largest permanently protected greenbelt, at the Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto.
(Anushka Yadav/The Pointer)
A 2023 David Suzuki Foundation poll highlighted that 74 percent of Ontarians agree the Greenbelt is no place for new highways.
“This government needs to strongly consider the other alternatives to transit and put more money into that way. But again, it's made clear that this government supports a gas-driven economy, even when it comes to energy and electricity production,” STOP the 413 NOW member Melanie Duckett-Wilson told The Pointer.
“It will be damaging to the government [as well]…it's just another step back that they're showing that they're not looking at climate action. They don't care what happens 20 years from now for the youth of today. And so sooner or later, they're going to have to pay the price for that. And we will all pay the price for that.”
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