QUEEN’S PARK – MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner spoke at a press conference hosted by Environmental Defence, calling on Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office to investigate the cost of building Highway 413.
“Highway 413 is an environmental wrecking ball that’s going to pave over our Greenbelt so big corporations and wealthy investors can cash in. It will do nothing to make life easier or more affordable for everyday Ontarians.
But while people are struggling to make rent and afford groceries, the government is bulldozing ahead with this reckless plan and refusing to disclose how long it will take or what it will cost taxpayers.
Highway 413 will only fuel more expensive sprawl, more congestion and more pollution, while destroying the wetlands that protect us from flooding and the farmland that feeds us and supports 1 in 9 Ontario jobs.
That’s why I sent a letter to the Financial Accountability Office today asking them to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the costs and tradeoffs associated with Highway 413.
Because we know that this highway is an expensive scheme designed to benefit investors and corporate developers, not everyday people.”