Corp Comm Connects

Vaughan councillor: GTA companies sending letters supporting Highway 413 to York Region council

Coun. Marilyn Iafrate tweeted a list of 15 companies from Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto who support the GTA West Corridor

Yorkregion.com
March 16, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

On Sunday, March 14, Vaughan Coun. Marilyn Iafrate tweeted a list of 15 companies from Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto showing their support for York Region in its upcoming March 18 special meeting on a proposed highway.

Vaughan councillors officially withdrew their endorsement, dating back to 2015, of the proposed GTA West Corridor on March 10. Also known as Highway 413, it would be worth $6 billion in taxpayer money.

The decision showed a clear divide between Vaughan’s five local ward councillors, who withdrew their endorsement of the proposed highway, and the city’s three regional councillors and its mayor, who continue to support it.

“All these Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto companies sent letters to York Region asking for support of Hwy 413 with no regard for affected Vaughan residents,” Marilyn said in her tweet.

Iafrate said the proposed GTA West highway should be stopped since it would cross 60 per cent of the protected Greenbelt and 40 per cent of provincially identified prime agriculture land.

“Need I say more?” she added.

Irene Ford, who spoke on behalf of the group Stop the 413 to both Vaughan and York Region councils, believes the backing for this highway is to spur further "goods movement" to big stores such as Walmart.

In August last year, Premier Doug Ford attended the groundbreaking for a huge Walmart distribution centre, which came through a minister's zoning order (MZO).

The MZO touched provincially significant wetlands (PSWs) on agriculturally zoned land.