Moving forward on Highway 413 in Ottawa, Ontario

The agreement between the provincial and federal governments marks a move forward with Premier Doug Ford's Highway 413 Joint Environmental Impact Reduction Task Force.

In a statement released Monday, officials said the two levels of government agreed to “a collaborative process to assess and manage issues surrounding federal species at risk during project planning in Ontario.”

“This agreement demonstrates the ability of Canada and Ontario to work together while recognizing shared jurisdiction over environmental issues,” said federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau.

“It also ensures that federal interests in species protection are preserved by offering Ontario clarity in the review process for the Highway 413 project in accordance with the recent Supreme Court decision.”

The “memorandum of understanding” comes after years of back-and-forth between the two levels of government over the Highway 413 project — Ford's key campaign promise, a six-lane, 52-kilometer road connecting Halton and York regions. .

Environmentalists and local farmers have criticized the plan, noting that it would damage important sites and affect businesses.

A 2022 Environmental Protection Agency report identified at least 29 “federally identified endangered species” that would be affected by the new highway, and it would cross more than 100 streams and rivers and cause the loss of about 400 acres of Greenbelt land.

In May 2021, the federal government determined that the highway warranted designation under the Impact Assessment Act, the piece of legislation that gives it the authority to assess how a project will affect climate change.

The government has been actively fighting the process for Highway 413 and land in Ontario since the Supreme Court ruled the Impact Assessment Act unconstitutional.

In March 2024, both governments agreed to settle the litigation through a joint settlement. The appointment has now been withdrawn.

The project has “strongest (environmental) measures”: Minister

Speaking to CP24 on Monday afternoon, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the new six-lane highway will be built with “appropriate environmental measures and very rigorous environmental assessment processes like any other highway project in this province.”

The Brampton South MPP noted that Ontario will not cancel the environmental review of this project, which has been in practice for 15 years.

Instead, he said it was the first time the federal government had acted and designated a new provincial highway under the Impact Assessment Act.

“We will be working with the federal government as well as the environment in this province. As I said, we have the strongest measures in place,” assured Sarkaria.

Finally, he said the Ford government is committed to delivering on its promise to build this project and move Ontarians faster.

“The people of this province elected this government, elected Premier Ford to build Highway 413. We know it will save 30 minutes in each direction,” the minister told CP24 about the consent order in court as of Monday. Highway 413 was signed.

“We want to get shovels in the ground and today Ontarians are confident that we can move forward on this project and build Highway 413.”

Sarkaria said the construction of this new GTA area highway is important to meet the needs of Ontario's growing population, adding that two million people have come to the province in the past two years and that “explosive growth” is expected to continue.

“You know, people in Milton, people in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, we see gridlock every day trying to get into the city, it's only getting worse and we've got to make sure we build the next infrastructure. generation,” he said, adding that the provincial government would work with any affected stakeholders, including concerned farmers, to mitigate any impacts along the 52km stretch of road.

“We need to build infrastructure to continue, but we will do it while making sure we protect the environment,” Sarkaria vowed.

In a statement, the province's transportation minister thanked the federal government for “welcoming us to the table and providing the environmental cooperation necessary to get the project off the ground.”

In a joint statement Monday, government officials released few more details about the deal, saying “a joint task force will be established to recommend appropriate measures to mitigate environmental impacts in areas of federal environmental jurisdiction.”

“The joint task force will use collective expertise to protect the environment and ensure impacts to at-risk species such as the Western chorus frog and red-headed woodpecker, and their critical habitat will be considered before the project moves into the detailed design phase,” officials said in a joint statement.

They further noted that the project is still subject to Ontario's Environmental Assessment Act and other provincial and federal protections, including the Fisheries Act, the Migratory Bird Convention and the Species at Risk Act.