Construction expected to start on Ontario Hwy. 413 in 2025
Ontario will start construction on Highway 413 next year, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday.
According to officials, the province is currently evaluating the ground’s composition and hopes to host a “market sounding event” in May with key stakeholders to discuss how to move construction forward “quickly and efficiency.”
The government hopes to begin expediting land acquisitions in the fall, it says. Construction would start in 2025.
“Highway 413 is going to be a game changer for the region,” Ford said in Caledon, Ont. “We’re already starting field work in land acquisition. That will help make sure we get shovels in the ground on time.”
“I just want to say how excited I am about what Highway 413 is going to be for everyone.”
The six-lane, 52-kilometre highway has been a major campaign promise of Ford’s and has been stalled by the threat of federal environmental assessment.
Earlier this month the federal and provincial governments came to an agreement that would allow the project to move forward without being subject to the Impact Assessment Act for environmental review.
The proposed route would run from Halton to York Region, connecting highways 401, 407, and 410. The province expects the project to save commuters about 30 minutes in driving time when complete, reducing gridlock across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces potential start date for Highway 413 construction. (CTVNewsToronto.ca)
Advocates have said the highway will have long-term impacts on at least 29 federally-identified species at risk as well as multiple waterways, resulting in the loss of about 400 acres of Greenbelt land. They also refute the government’s claim that it will save commuters driving time, arguing that it will create more congestion in the region.
Farmers have also indicated concern, claiming the proposal “poses a major threat to farmland in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and thus the viability of the region’s agri-food sector.”
“Highway 413 is an environmental wrecking ball that’s going to pave over 2,000 acres of prime farmland, including 400 acres of the Greenbelt – all to save commuters a mere 30 seconds," Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said in a statement.
"Ontario Greens will keep fighting to stop Highway 413 and put forward real housing solutions that protect our farms, forests and wetlands from costly sprawl.”
In its joint statement agreeing to move forward with Highway 413, the federal and provincial governments committed to a “collaborative process to assess and manage the issues around federal species at risk throughout Ontario’s planning of the project.”
The cost of the project is also unclear. The government has yet to provide an estimate, saying only in its budget that it will spend $28 billion over 10 years on highways.
In November 2022, an auditor general report suggested the cost could be more than $4 billion. However the Ontario Liberals have previously said it’s likely closer to $10 billion.
The premier says the highway is expected to contribute $350 million to the province’s real GDP and support 3,500 jobs each year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Slovakia's prime minister injured in shooting
Media reports say Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital.
Wildfire smoke forecast: Poor air quality in Western Canada, haze in Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires continue to impact air quality across Western Canada, with conditions expected to worsen on Wednesday before improving.
'Not a scarient': New COVID-19 subvariant dominant in Canada
A new COVID-19 subvariant is dominant in Canada, representing just over 30 per cent of cases in the country, but infectious disease experts say there’s no sign it’ll evolve into a summer 'scarient.'
DEVELOPING Massive manhunt in France for prison-break gang that gunned down officers
A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for an armed gang that killed two prison officers and seriously injured three others to spring an inmate they were escorting.
Growing wildfires across Western Canada are forcing thousands from their homes
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in almost 2 decades, but Earth should be out of the way this time
The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummelled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places.
B.C. mom whose son died from wildfire smoke trying to make this year safer
As wildfires rage in British Columbia, the family of a nine-year-old who died last summer is trying to protect people from poor air quality due to smoke this year.
Victim loses $2M in online romance scam
A Malahide Township resident is out more than $2 million following a romance scam.
Stormy Daniels' husband says they'll likely leave country if Trump is acquitted
The husband of adult film actress Stormy Daniels said on Tuesday that there’s a 'good chance' the couple will leave the country if former U.S. president Donald Trump is acquitted in his Manhattan criminal trial.