Ontario Green Party leader visits Caledon, announces party would cancel Highway 413

Mike Schreiner made announcement beside Dufferin-Caledon Green candidate Laura Campbell

By Zachary Roman

The leader of the Ontario Greens said his party would cancel the proposed Highway 413 and subsidize a dedicated truck lane on the existing Highway 407.

Mike Schreiner made the announcement when he visited Caledon on April 20, for a press conference with Dufferin-Caledon Green candidate Laura Campbell at the intersection of Mayfield and Bramalea roads.

The location was chosen as it was across the street from Campbell's old high school.

“I attended Mayfield Secondary School from 2000 to 2004, which feels like a long time ago and it was a long time ago — but not that long ago. When I'm looking around me now, it is an unrecognizable landscape,” said Campbell.

“We want to preserve farmland; this is one of the key industries in my community. And we know that building this highway will make it impossible for farmers just north of here to continue to harvest their crops.”

Schreiner said Doug Ford's Conservative government has selected the most expensive and destructive route for the proposed Highway 413. He said he was pleased to be in Dufferin-Caledon to announce his party's alternative.

“Doug Ford's expensive highway will not address the transportation challenges facing this region. A dedicated truck lane is the most financially and environmentally responsible way to create an alternative way of moving goods in the region, and we will ensure that trucks not be charged for this lane, it will be covered by public finances,” said Schreiner.

“We have to stop Doug Ford's expensive sprawl agenda. The 413 alone will pave over 2,000 acres of farmland, 400 acres of the Greenbelt, cross 85 waterways and destroy 75 wetlands, while emitting 17.5 million tonnes of climate pollution. We simply cannot allow Doug Ford to pave over the wetlands that clean our drinking water and protect us from flooding; the farmland that feeds us and contributes so much to our local economies. And we can't allow him to continue… projects that will simply pollute the air we breathe.”

Schreiner said some expert panels have estimated the proposed Highway 413 could cost upwards of $10 billion and that there's no way to know as the Ford government hasn't been transparent with how much it will cost.

“Let's contrast that with our proposal to have a dedicated truck lane on Highway 407. That would cost $260 million a year, take an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 transport trucks off of the 401, making the 401 safer for drivers. And over a 30-year period, the estimated cost is $4 billion. That's a fraction… of the cost of building a Highway 413,” said Schreiner.

He said while obviously the Greens are concerned about the environmental impacts of the highway, even from a fiscal standpoint it doesn't make sense.

Campbell said she's been in conversation with community activists in Caledon, and that truck traffic in Caledon will actually increase if the 413 is built, due to all the aggregate from Dufferin-Caledon needed for its construction.

“We really have to stand with community activists and say no to this highway… why are we resurrecting it? And we know why, and that's because Ford's agenda is to help out his developer buddies. That is not how democracy works,” said Campbell.

Schreiner said it's irresponsible of the Ford government to require regions and municipalities to plan to 2051 during a pandemic. He said it means the government is essentially trying to force municipalities to expand their urban boundaries.

“It really shows you that the Ford government is more interested in maximizing value for land speculators — who also oftentimes happen to be big donors to the Conservative Party — than they are in responsible planning and stewardship of our communities,” he said.

Schreiner questioned if the projected growth of Caledon to 300,000 residents by 2051 is even accurate, and explained his party's plan to deal with growth if it is. 

“If we do meet those targets, let's build connected, livable communities that provide people lots of choices around the kinds of affordable homes they want to live in. Let's make duplexes and triplexes and quadplexes… let's make it easier for people to build tiny homes and laneway housings and secondary suites,” said Schreiner.

He said the Ontario Greens have costed and committed to building 160,000 affordable homes in the next decade by working with non-profit, cooperative, and social housing providers.

“Let's build the communities people want, let's make them affordable, and let's connect them using transit,” said Schreiner.