Statement by Mike Marcolongo, Associate Director, Environmental Defence

Toronto | Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat — The Ontario government’s decision to announce the construction management contract of the Highway 410 extension to Highway 413 as a “milestone” for Highway 413 is perplexing, considering the highway is nowhere near “construction-ready.”

The Highway 410 extension was announced as an “Early Works” project through Bill 212 (Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024) almost two years ago.

“The announcements made today are surface-level gestures by a government desperately trying to convince residents that the solutions to the GTA’s congestion are around the corner,” said Mike Marcolongo, Associate Director, Environmental Defence, “when in fact this highway build is very, very far in the future — if it ever happens.”

The only “Early Works” to be started and completed since Bill 212 was passed in 2024 is the creation of a new embankment at the 401/407/413 highways interchange. Despite the fanfare, the majority of “early works” have yet to be completed.

The Government of Ontario has not justified the costs of this environmentally destructive highway (estimated between $14 billion and $18 billion) that will pave over 400 acres of the Greenbelt and 2,000 acres of prime farmland, at a time when Canada’s independence from U.S. grocery imports is more important than ever.

These highways will do nothing to ease congestion, which is already costing Ontarians $45 billion per year. Instead they will worsen pollution, gridlock and cost of living. If this money were spent on public transit instead, we could move double the amount of people per hour.

Background Information:

  • Highway 413 is a 59-kilometre mega-highway proposed to connect the 401 near Milton to Highway 400 in Vaughan.
  • Both 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 cancelling Highway 413 because — as they concluded — saving 30 seconds for a commuter driving between Milton and Vaughan just wasn’t worth it from a public investment perspective.
  • Environmental Defence’s December 2025 Transit over Traffic report contains recommendations for how the provincial government could unlock public transit’s potential to solve the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s growing gridlock, which currently costs the economy and residents $45 billion every year.
  • Through Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) requests through the federal government, Environmental Defence can confirm that Highway 413 is far from being anywhere near “shovel ready.” Recent ATIP requests demonstrate that:
    • Key permits have not been applied for or secured: Key federal Fisheries and Species at Risk Act permits have yet to be applied for by the proponent, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
    • Actual construction is at least three years away: Highway 413 construction is not expected to start for “about three years” according to an ATIP request.
    • Final Highway 413 design will take up to two years for each section: The MTO is moving forward with final design for one of four sections of Highway 413 — a process that will take up to two years for a single section.

These findings are in stark contrast to the claims from the Ontario government that proclaimed in August 2025 with much fanfare that “Ontario Beginning Highway 413 Construction.”

  • Highway 413 is estimated to cost between $14 billion and $18 billion, and will 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.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental 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:

Erinn Steringa, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca