Stop the 413 GTA West Highway

To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

Whereas the Ontario government is pushing ahead with plans to build Highway 413, a redundant and wasteful 400-series highway through the Greenbelt that would cost taxpayers an estimated $10 billion or more; and

Whereas according to a Torstar/National Observer investigation entitled “Friends With Benefits,” powerful developers and land speculators with political and donor ties to the Premier and the PC Party of Ontario own thousands of acres along the proposed highway corridor and would profit from its construction, suggesting that this $10 billion taxpayer-funded highway is about serving the private interests of the Premier’s friends and donors, not the public interest; and

Whereas the Ontario government’s expert panel concluded in 2017 that Highway 413 would be a waste of taxpayer money that would only save drivers 30-60 seconds on their commutes; and

Whereas that expert panel identified less costly and less destructive alternatives to new highway construction, such as making better use of the underused Highway 407, just 15 km away; and

Whereas Highway 413 would pave over 400 acres of Greenbelt and 2000 acres of farmland, destroy the habitats of at-risk and endangered species, and pollute rivers and streams; and

Whereas building more highways encourages more vehicle use and increases traffic and congestion; and 

Whereas the highway would cause significant harm to historic Indigenous sites

We the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

Stop the plans for building Highway 413.

Download and print the petition here