Highway 413: A Look at the Ford Government's Plan

Sara Aboutorabi

News

The Ford government is moving forward with building the proposed Highway 413: A 59-kilometre four-to-six-lane freeway running through the northwest Greater Toronto Area. The highway would connect the northern part of Vaughan to the interchange of highways 407 and 401 in the Halton Region.

After the previous Liberal government revoked it, the Ford government announced they were planning on going through with building Highway 413. As announced in the 2021 Fall Statement, the Ontario government is planning to allocate a few billion dollars to construction, expansion, and rehabilitation projects as part of the Ontario Highways Program. The highway itself would cost at least $6 billion in development. Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy also announced that they are investing an additional $1.6 billion over the next six years to support large bridge rehabilitation projects and advance key highway expansion projects, including the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413.

The construction of Highway 413 has become controversial and drawn criticism from municipal councils, residents, and environmental advocates. Some are in favour of the plan, believing that it will fight congestion, provide more jobs, and spur economic growth, while others are against it, believing that Highway 413 is unnecessary and detrimental to the environment.

The government argues the highway is vital to accommodate the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) Region, one of the fastest-growing regions in North America, which is expected to have an approximate population of 15 million people by 2051. In their release of the 2021 Fall Statement, the province stated, “During construction, Highway 413 is expected to support up to 3,500 jobs each year and generate up to $350 million in annual real gross domestic product (GDP).” The Ford government views the construction of this 400-series highway only as a benefit to the growth of the economy, turning a blind eye toward the major threat it poses to farmland in the GGH.

Residents and municipal councils assert Highway 413 will take an excessive toll on the environment. This mega highway will cut through the GTA’s greenbelt, threatening wildlife and productive farmland as well as paving over farms and forests. According to Environmental Defence, Highway 413 would add over 17 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, resulting in more than $1.4 billion in damages from that pollution.

Highway 413 plays a major part in Doug Ford’s re-election campaign. He sees highway-building as a definite winner among most suburban voters. All opposition parties including the Liberals, NDP, and Greens, promise to stop Highway 413 if elected, while Ford maintains that the project will, without a doubt, go ahead.