Day of community action against Highway 413 planned

Harvest Ontario Walk and Bike to be held on October 1

By Zachary Roman

People across Ontario will be gathering on October 1 to advocate for a complete Federal Environmental Impact Assessment on the proposed Highway 413 route.

Grassroots organizers will be hosting the Harvest Ontario Walk that day to raise awareness about the irreplaceable farmland that the highway would pave over.

A rally and farmer's market at the Brampton Fairgrounds will serve as a central place for those interested in participating to meet.

From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Harvest Ontario Walk (and bike) will take place along the route, or as close to along the route as possible, of the proposed Highway 413.

EcoCaledon will host a walk beginning at Countryside and Clarkway Boulevard, while the Ontario Greens and ClimateFast will host a walk beginning and ending at the Brampton Fairgrounds on Heart Lake Road.

A full map of walk start and end points, and more details about each walk, can be found online at environmentaldefence.ca/howtostop413/.

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and NDP Environment, Conservation and Parks critic Sandy Shaw will be participating in the Brampton Fairgrounds rally from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. — and event organizers are inviting any Caledon municipal election candidates opposed to Highway 413 to participate in the rally.

Susan Berry, Chair of the Harvest Ontario Walk coalition, said building new highways does nothing to alleviate traffic congestion, and that it in fact increases it instead. She said Ontario already has the 407, and that a much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution to traffic congestion than the 413 would be to subsidize tolls for truckers on the 407.

Berry said she doesn't want the upcoming day of action to be an angry and “in your face” protest, rather something healthy and active that's “creating joyful noise” about saving Ontario's farmland and environment.