Statement by Mike Marcolongo, Associate Director, Environmental Defence
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – On Tuesday, June 2nd at 9:30am, Environmental Defence will host a press conference at the Queen’s Park Media studio requesting a financial analysis for the cost of building Highway 413 from the Financial Accountability Office (FAO).
Despite the Ontario government’s attempts to pretend otherwise, Highway 413 construction is nowhere close to starting. The provincial government has not even begun to seek the many fisheries or “species at risk” permits from the Federal government. Given this, now is the time to study the financial feasibility of this mega-project. Ontarians do not deserve to be left in the dark, especially considering the sharp and well-documented increase in construction costs in infrastructure builds, especially for a 59-kilometre highway that is widely understood to be the costliest highway project in the history of the province.
A financial analysis will also enable Ontarians to better understand the alleged benefits of the Highway 413 proposal and its alternatives – key concerns that are not being examined since the Ontario government has exempted this project from a standard environmental assessment.
Event Details:
What: Press Conference Highlighting Members of Provincial Parliament Request from the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) for Full-Cost Accounting of the Highway 413 Project
When: Tuesday, June 2nd 2026 at 9:30am
Where: Queen’s Park Media Studio – Main Floor of the Ontario Legislature, 111 Wellesley Street West, Toronto, ON, M7A 1A5
Background Information:
- Highway 413 is a 59 kilometre mega-highway proposed to connect the 401 near Milton to Highway 400 in Vaughan.
- Independent and government studies show Highway 413 would not reduce congestion, but moving traffic to the 407 and building public transit will. In fact, in 2017 – an independent government panel recommended canceling Highway 413 because as they concluded: saving 30 seconds from a commuter driving between Milton and Vaughan just wasn’t worth it from a public investment perspective.
- Highway 413 is estimated to cost between $14-18 billion and is expected to be Ontario’s costliest highway to date.
- In 2024, the Ontario government exempted this mega-project from an environmental assessment – as a result transportation alternatives including opening up Highway 407 to trucks have not been examined. Highway 407 is an underused highway that is only 15 km south of the proposed route of Highway 413.
- In addition to the financial costs, Highway 413’s infrastructure footprint would consume nearly 500 acres of prime farmland and natural areas in the headwaters of the Credit and Humber River watersheds.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Karishma Porwal, media@environmentaldefence.ca
