Ontario Construction News staff writer
Newmarket council wants further study into the potential environmental impact of the Bradford Bypass before construction starts. At a recent meeting, councillors voted to request an updated provincial environmental assessment or a federal environmental assessment of the proposal.
Environmental groups opposed to the construction have been lobbying since Premier Doug Ford announced the plan to fully fund the highway project an have been urging local municipalities to request further studies.
The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition and the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition point to the recent provincial auditor general’s report to back up their claims.
“Her key findings are extremely relevant to issues surrounding the Bypass including, ‘Decisions about important public infrastructure and services, such as highways…, appeared to be disconnected from, or inconsistent with, other land-use planning processes and policies.,” the groups wrote in a news release.
“We agree. The Bypass is proceeding without consideration of existing land-use policies that have been implemented since the 1997 EA including the Greenbelt Plan, Lake Simcoe Protection Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Proceeding with this highway without full study and consideration of these policies makes a mockery of the protection these Acts are supposed to afford Ontarians’ health and environment.”
The proposed freeway will extend from Highway 400 between 8th Line and 9th Line in Bradford West Gwillimbury to Highway 404 between Queensville Sideroad and Holborn Road in East Gwillimbury.
The project will support more than 700 jobs per year on average during construction and generate more than $70 million in annual real GDP.
In a presentation to Newmarket council, Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition executive director Claire Malcomson urged council to push for a federal assessment.
“Your role is not just to stay in your lane and support ideas that have been around a long time but to act in the best interests of your constituents,” she said to council.
East Gwillimbury, Georgina and Barrie have also approved similar motions.
In November, the province issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to design and build a bridge crossing for the Bradford Bypass.
“We are getting shovels in the ground to build critical transportation infrastructure, including highways, roads and bridges,” said Kinga Surma, minister of infrastructure. “This important infrastructure is helping to ensure frontline workers get to where they need to go and is also supporting the distribution of vaccines and PPE, which are vital to the health and wellbeing of all Ontarians. By investing in infrastructure, our government is investing in our economic future, our health and safety, and our quality of life.”
A Preliminary Design and project specific assessment of environmental impacts in accordance with Ontario Regulation 697/21 for the project is currently underway and is expected to be completed by December 2022.
The coalitions acknowledge that the only option for many people outside the GTA is to travel by car, “that is a result of government policy choice which is literally killing our communities.”
“By continuing to focus major investments in highways, we lose the opportunity to invest in other things that allow people to travel in different ways that can be more convenient (e.g. high speed transit, regional transit).”
They also dispute population projections, saying actual growth will be less. Also, they say the route is home to at least 11 species at risk, two endangered.
“Despite assurances that these species will be protected, the Auditor General’s report confirms what we fear – that based on historical actions, these habitats will be destroyed, these species at risk will be permanently harmed and the province won’t uphold its responsibility to protect our beloved green spaces from destruction.”
A major concern is the potential impact on Lake Simcoe.
“Despite calls from several municipalities to ensure that impacts to Lake Simcoe are understood prior to any construction on the Bypass, the province is moving ahead quickly toward construction,” they said. “In 35 years, Lake Simcoe could have a salt concentration similar to oceans.”
The government has invested approximately $2.6 billion in funding for 2021–22 in support of the Ontario Highways Program, which features more than 580 expansion and rehabilitation projects, including the Bradford Bypass.