CALEDON – This afternoon Ontario Green Leader Mike Schreiner held a press conference along the proposed route of Highway 413 to call on Doug Ford to cancel Highway 413.
As a substitute of constructing a highway that mostly advantages wealthy land speculators and PC donors, Ontario Greens will construct the livable, reasonably priced communities people want so that they don’t must commute for hours.
Schreiner was joined by Laura Campbell, Ontario Green candidate for Dufferin-Caledon, and Jenni Le Forestier, activist and 2021 candidate for the Green Party of Canada
“Let me be clear: Highway 413 is a climate and bankruptcy,” Schreiner stated. “It must be cancelled.”
An increasing number of local municipalities and communities are coming out against the highway. It’s estimated that Highway 413 would pave over 2,000 acres of farmland, 400 acres of the Greenbelt, and cut through 85 waterways while saving commuters just 30 seconds.
And based on Environmental Defence, Highway 413 would pump 17.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the air cumulatively by 2050 — that’s greater than the whole City of Toronto emitted in 2018.
“We want to guard nature and construct a more livable future for our children,” said Laura Campbell. “That’s what I hear from the local people on this community. But Doug Ford would relatively pave over wetlands and farmland and increase emissions than take meaningful climate motion.”
Recent investigative studies have linked Doug Ford’s stubbornness on Highway 413 to a lot of wealthy land speculators that will stand to achieve from the project.
“Doug Ford is making decisions that may profit his deep-pocketed friends as a substitute of investing within the people of Dufferin-Caledon,” Jenni Le Forestier said. “He’s putting profits before people and the planet. It’s unacceptable.”
Schreiner emphasized a lot of alternatives to Highway 413, including a dedicated truck lane on the 407, that will help increase the flow of products without increasing climate pollution through induced demand.
“Ontario Greens have a greater plan,” Schreiner said. “As a substitute of pumping billions into more highways and concrete sprawl, let’s spend money on livable and reasonably priced communities connected by transit that protect nature and crush climate pollution.”
