The 413 is a proposed 52-kilometer highway that would link Hwy 400 and the Hwy
401/407 interchange. It is meant to serve commuters between Vaughan and Brampton
and shave a half hour off their commute. Price tag estimates range from $5 billion to
$15 billion, according to a Globe and Mail editorial dated Sept. 4, 2025. The route of the
proposed highway is in the headwaters of the Credit and the Humber rivers and will
cross rivers and creeks in those watersheds over 130 times. Its construction will result
in a loss of 400 acres of Greenbelt, and 2000 acres of prime farmland. The path chosen
by the government is the most ecologically destructive of the route options.
The 413 project is contrary to almost everything we value. As Torontonians, we want
headwaters of our local rivers to be clean and healthy. In a time of climate awareness,
we want emissions reduced, and forests saved. We would like farmland saved so we
can eat locally grown food. As Ontarians, we would like our tax dollars spent on cost
efficient transportation and affordable housing. As naturalists, we are grieved at the
destruction of habitat.
And there are alternatives to Hwy 413. By subsidizing tolls, trucks could be induced to
use the under-utilized Hwy 407. This would remove a lot of traffic from Hwy 401, would
go into effect immediately and cost a lot less than building a 400 series highway.
Metrolinx is expanding its GO services in the region on the Kitchener, Milton and
Brampton lines to handle more capacity. There is a rail corridor beside the proposed
413 route which could be built without the adjacent highway.
A Globe and Mail editorial (Sept. 4, 2025) argued the Highway 413 project should not
go ahead without transparent costing, noting: “It’s easy to see why Mr. Ford prefers not
to talk about money and timelines. He can brag about the benefits he says the highway
will bring while avoiding numbers that might make voters balk. But it’s an insulting way
to treat the public. It short-circuits proper political debate. And it creates future
landmines of unknown size in the provincial budget.”
It is definitely the 11th hour. The Environmental Impact Assessment Report is expected
to be published later this year, after which legal challenges regarding Species-at-Risk
permits or aspects of the government’s proposed environmental mitigation could be
announced.
In the meantime, you can still act:
- Sign an online petition: Stop the 413 – Free the 407
- Send an email to your MPP, stating your concern about Highway 413
- Support Environmental Defence and Ecojustice. Legal battles are expensive.
- Learn more; see resources below:
Learn more:
Environmental Defence has been a leader in the battle to stop Hwy 413 from being built,
and has produced these very informative reports between 2022 and 2025. The titles say
it all:
Paving Paradise:The impact of the 413 on green house gas emissions, air pollution and
suburban sprawl
Transit Over Traffic: Hard truths for addressing traffic Gridlock in the GTHA
The Road to our Ruin: How the Hwy 413 will impact threatened and endangered species
Concrete Consequences: How building the 413 would put GTA watersheds at risk
Is Building the 413 the best option for moving People and Goods in the GTA-west region?
The Freight Escape: How to get trucks off the 401 without blowing a hole in the Greenbelt
-Anne P