Ontario hopes to get shovels in ground for Hwy. 413 in the next year
The Ontario government hopes to get shovels in the ground on Highway 413 in the next year.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria hinted at the timeline while speaking with reporters on Tuesday.
“I'm hoping to get shovels in the ground, within the next year,” he said. “But the market and our teams will dictate that. We'll continue to provide updates as we move forward on that.”
This is the first time the government has indicated a timeline for the project.
The comments come a day after the provincial and federal governments issued a joint statement agreeing to move forward with Highway 413 while establishing a working group to assess environmental impacts.
The “memorandum of understanding” released Monday comes after years of court battles between the two governments, with the federal government setting aside a designation that would have placed the highway under the Impact Assessment Act for environmental review.
Advocates have long said the six-lane, 52-kilometre highway that connects Halton and York regions would have long-term impacts on at least 29 federally-identified species at risk as well as multiple waterways.
Ontario farmers have also said the proposed highway “poses a major threat to farmland in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and thus the viability of the region’s agri-food sector.”
The joint working group pledged by both governments will “recommend appropriate measures to minimize environmental impacts in areas of federal environmental jurisdiction.”
“The joint working group will leverage collective expertise to protect the environment and ensure impacts to species at risk, like the Western chorus frog and the red-headed woodpecker, and their critical habitats are considered before the project moves into the detailed design stage,” officials said in the joint release.
Sarkaria sidestepped questions about how much Highway 413 will cost—a pricetag that has yet to be provided to the public.
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 government has pledged in their budget to spend $28 billion over 10 years for highways.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.