Vaughan favours building new GTA highway in northern part of city

Environmental Defence rejects city's ‘preferred’ route for proposed GTA west corridor

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 28, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Vaughan city council is backing a motion to build the proposed GTA west corridor highway along the northern most route through the municipality, according to a statement published Nov. 21.

The “recorded vote” took place Nov. 19, the motion called on the Ministry of Transportation to “build” the proposed GTA west corridor highway to “support future growth.”

The city said its “preferred” to create the west corridor highway by linking Highway 427 to Highway 400, passing through the northern part of the city.

“This route is preferred because it will help mitigate impacts to the city’s existing residential neighbourhoods, planned employment lands and future residential areas.”

The building of this highway, which supporters say will reduce traffic and improve commuting times, has created some controversy.

On June 4, the Tory government decided to resume the environmental assessment of the corridor connecting the east and the west of the GTA after the Liberals cancelled the highway proposal in early 2018.

The new highway was expected to link two vital highways 400 to 401 between Vaughan and Milton to create 413, making passing through the Greenbelt unavoidable.

While environmentalists have long rejected the proposal, both York and Peel regions have previously expressed their desire for a highway, with York regional council approving it unanimously.

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said in a statement that it’s “important to expand the current transportation network to get goods and people moving” especially since he called Vaughan the “largest employment centre within York Region.”

He said the building of the highway will be done “while safeguarding the environment, our employment lands and our standard of living.”

“The GTA west corridor highway presents an opportunity to create more connections across Vaughan and the Greater Toronto Area, but it must be constructed responsibly and take into account the best interests of our residents and businesses,” he said in hopes of dissuading any calls by environmentalists who want the Greenbelt to be untouched.

“With future employment growth estimated to reach 321,500 by 2041 and population expected to increase to almost half a million people by 2041, effective land-use planning is vital to city building.”

What do environmentalists think?

Tim Gray, executive director for Environmental Defence, criticized this new move.

Gray told York Region that this “particular the alternative route” proposed by Vaughan “would place the GTA West (413) highway into the heart of the best remaining natural areas in Vaughan, including the Nashville Conservation area and require multiple crossings of headwater streams of the Humber River and its tablelands.”

He added, “It is a worse proposed route for a highway that should never be built.”

Gray also said the “GTA west highway has been found by an expert panel review to be unnecessary. It will cost $5 billion of taxpayer money.”

This will also “encourage more car-dependent sprawl” and “destroy thousands of hectares of farmland forest, including parts of the Greenbelt and it will not shorten commute times.”

Instead, Gray advised that “other transportation solutions” should be used to “expedite goods movement in the region.”

“These include upgrades to regional roads, increased use of Highway 407 by trucks through fee reductions and investment in regional public transportation.”

Since February, drivers who use Highway 407 express toll route have seen a price increase. The camera charge for customers without a transponder is $4.20 and the annual transponder lease fee is $24.50.