Proposed Highway 413 and why it is being debated
If you live in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, you’ve probably heard about the proposed construction of Highway 413, or the “GTA West Corridor”, for a long time. In fact, it was first considered all the way back in 2005 by the then-Liberal provincial government. The highway has been debated back and forth ever since, with people falling very passionately on either side of the argument. Today, we’re going to explore exactly what is being proposed for Highway 413 and the key points of those who are for and those who are against construction.
What is Highway 413?
Route of proposed Highway 413 via City News
Highway 413 is a proposed four to six-lane highway that would stretch 59km in length and connect existing Highways 400, 401, 427, 410 and the 407 ETR. It would have 11 interchanges at municipal roads. It also includes a proposed separate Transitway exclusively dedicated to public transit. No specific budget has been laid out for the project, but the most recently available information pegs it at about $6 billion dollars. Despite being killed by the Liberal government, Ford’s Conservative government revived plans for the Highway’s construction in 2018.
Arguments for the Highway
There are a few benefits proposed by supporters of the Highway, most notably the Conservative government. You can find a full backgrounder on the proposed Highway prepared by the Ford government here.
Fighting congestion: The Ford government claims that the construction of Highway 413 will save travellers 30 minutes of commuting time should they be travelling its full length when compared to the alternative route of the 401 and 400. It indicates that motorway growth is necessary to accommodate the 15 million people expected to reside in the Greater Golden Horseshoe by 2051.
Economics: The construction of Highway 413 would generate an estimated $350 million in real GDP and 3,500 jobs per year of construction according to the Ford government. It is suggested that it would facilitate the faster movement of goods while connecting people to employment as well as new business growth.
Technology: It is alleged that the construction of Highway 413 would allow for the development of state-of-the-art technology to make Ontario “future ready”. This includes EV charging stations, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication for automated vehicles, and more.
Arguments Against Highway 413
There are many vocal proponents against the construction of Highway 413, including some of the municipalities it is purported to benefit like Mississauga, Halton Hills, Orangeville, and Brampton (who all formally opposed its planned construction), along with scientists, environmentalists, and concerned citizens. Here are a few of the most vocalized issues.
Induced demand: A concept that has been around for a long time, induced demand says that roads encourage more driving, which erases the proposed benefit of expanding roads to reduce congestion. Many opponents of the highway therefore suggest that the first benefit touted above is unlikely to even come to fruition. Many also argue that a more realistic amount of time saved is closer to just one minute - that’s a pretty stark difference! They also argue against the remaining two benefits, citing that there are other ways to create jobs (and ones that are longer lasting) as well as leading technology within the green sector. In fact, Environmental Defence created an entire guide to creating a green jobs strategy for Ontario that you can find here.
Emissions: In addition to the potential to attract more cars, which will create more carbon emissions, the construction of roads also creates carbon emissions. Research by Environmental Defence indicates that 17 million tons of additional CO2 would be emitted by 2050 on Highway 413. This is the same date by which Canada is supposed to meet net-zero.
Species threatened, endangered, or at-risk along Highway 413’s proposed route via The Pointer
Ecosystems: The highway would cross over protected Greenbelt land. In doing so, it would harm 2,000 acres of farmland, cut through 85 waterways, damage 220 wetlands, and disrupt the habitat of a number of threatened, endangered and at-risk species. At a time when many are calling for more strict protection of habitats, the construction of Highway 413 stands in stark contrast to this call.
Urban sprawl: Many feel that the construction of Highway 413 is less about saving motorist’s time on the road and more about facilitating ongoing development in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. They argue that this does not create more affordable housing, but rather more suburbs of single-family dwellings that are car dependent and have no access to public transportation. This leaves those in property development and land speculation to be the most likely to benefit from the Highway’s construction.
Of note, the Ford government does have a specific page to address the environmental concerns of Highway 413’s construction, though it is light with respect to content and mainly covers mitigating actions such as utilizing “green” pavement, planting trees, and installing pollution reducing barriers called “SmogStops”.
The Alternatives
While Highway 413 may not be the best plan to address the Greater Golden Horseshoe’s transportation problem, many are empathetic that there is a need to build more robust transportation infrastructure. One of the most argued solutions is to better fund public transit expansion. It is estimated by Transport Action Toronto that the following could facilitate up to 29,000 people per hour travelling in peak direction compared to Highway 413’s 7,000 people for just $1.3 billion more:
GO Kitchener service expansion
GO Milton service expansion
GO Bolton new service
Brampton Main Street LRT (Light Rail Transit)
Dundas Street LRT
Brampton Mainstreet BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)
Major Mac BRT
Additional Resources
Obviously, there is a lot to unpack on this issue and we hope that the above has been helpful in introducing you to the issue at hand. Lots has been published online if you are curious to read further. Here are a few additional bits of information we wanted to share:
Stop Highway 413, Environmental Defence
High Profile Ontarians Demand Halt to Highway 413 as Election Nears
