About the 413

Building the proposed HWY 413 will require paving over 400 acres of the Greenbelt and 2000 acres of prime, irreplaceable farm land and fragile ecosystems. The 413 will destroy rare habitats and cause irrevocable harm to species at risk and endangered species. It will pour salt, oil and other contaminants into precious waterways including the Credit and Humber Rivers.

An expert panel says it will save on average, one minute, despite the Ford government claims that the 413 will save drivers 30 minutes, Saving one minute of travel time will cost taxpayers an estimated 10 billion dollars* (land and construction).  

The Ford government insists on going ahead with this make money project for his friends, despite excellent alternatives to building the 413. For example, if trucks were subsidised to use the 407 it would save truckers 80 minutes of travel time and remove between 12,000 to 21,000 trucks per day on the 401.* Relieving that degree of congestion on the 401 would make the 413 unnecessary. Getting trucks onto the 407 could happen in a matter of weeks and relief would be felt immediately across the 401 without a decade of construction chaos.

All day GO service to Kitchener, Milton & Bolton and increased bus or light rail transit in Brampton & Vaughan is far more cost effective and will move more people than building a destructive & costly highway.

The 413 will enable more urban sprawl: low rise, expensive subdivisions, big box malls, warehouses and parking lots. Sprawl doesn’t help build affordable housing but it adds to car dependent communities which will contribute to more C02 emissions.

Building the 413 without proper environmental assessments, opening up 30,000 acres to urban sprawl, misdirecting expenditures away from where they are needed, destroying irreplaceable farmland, wetlands and forests, further endangering species at risk, creating construction chaos and contributing to the climate crisis is an outdated, 1950’s solution to our modern problems. We have better choices and as citizens, we should demand them of our government.

 

​

*Toronto Star, August 28, 2023, “Ontario Keeping Costs of Highway 413 From Public” Environmental Defence Report, 2023

​​​​​​​