A deal has been reached in Ontario to allow the federal Highway 413 project to proceed

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Ontario has reached an agreement with the federal government to work together to minimize impacts on species at risk in order to proceed with the province's Highway 413 project.

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The two governments say they have signed a memorandum of understanding that will establish a joint task force to minimize the environmental impact of the proposed highway in areas of federal jurisdiction.

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At their request, they said, the Federal Court ordered that the Highway 413 project be de-designated under the Impact Assessment Act.

The province has accused Ottawa of overstepping its bounds when it designated the planned highway for federal review under the law, and has asked the court to stop the federal government from enforcing legislation against the 413 project.

Last fall, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down parts of the Impact Assessment Act as unconstitutional, ruling that it was written in a way that allowed the federal government to make decisions about projects entirely under provincial jurisdiction.

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The 52-kilometre Highway 413, which connects York, Peel and Halton regions, has been named as part of the province's plan to deal with congestion and expand public transit, but environmental groups and other critics say it pushes into protected green belt. encroaching on prime agricultural lands and endangering the health of endangered species of frogs and fish.

The province's Green Party released a statement Monday night saying it will continue to push for the project's repeal. The release, written by Aislinn Clancy, deputy leader and MPP for the Dining Centre, calls on Premier Doug Ford to “drop this environmental damage ball and start building affordable homes in the communities where Ontarians spend their time.”

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In an earlier statement, federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Stephen Guilbeau said the agreement shows the two governments can work together while recognizing their shared jurisdiction to protect the environment.

“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 statement said.

Guilbeau has previously said that the high court's decision struck down the Impact Assessment Act, but the government is trying to tighten parts that the court found too broad. He said the law empowers the Environment Minister to designate projects for review under the act.

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Advocacy group Environment Canada issued a statement calling on Ottawa to quickly introduce and pass an updated impact assessment act and re-designate the highway for assessment under the new statute as soon as it takes effect. It also suggests that if the federal government decides not to act, it would be a reckless betrayal of Ontarians who trust federal lawmakers to protect the environment.

The province thanked the federal government on Monday for “welcoming us to the table” and said it would work on procurement in the coming months to “get shovels in the ground on the project's key interchanges.”

“Our province is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth, grid outages cost our economy up to $11 billion annually, and we need infrastructure to sustain it,” said Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.

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