Doug Ford government asks hundreds of landowners for ‘permission’ to evaluate Highway 413 site

Premier Doug Ford’s government is notifying 467 landowners along the route of the proposed Highway 413 for “permission to enter” their property to evaluate its suitability for the freeway.

Thestar.com
Feb. 6, 2023
Robert Benzie and Noor Javed

A highway will run through it.

Premier Doug Ford’s government is notifying 467 landowners along the route of the proposed Highway 413 for “permission to enter” their property to evaluate its suitability for the freeway.

In a nine-page letter obtained by the Star, the province advises them the access is needed to “identify the route, determine interchange locations and complete the preliminary design for a new transportation corridor” between Milton and Vaughan.

Of the affected properties, fewer than half are privately owned farms and dwellings. The rest are parcels of land held by corporations and institutions.

Ford’s promise to build the 60-kilometre freeway linking Highways 401 and 400 was a cornerstone pledge of his re-election campaign last spring and the Progressive Conservatives won every riding along the planned route.

But the New Democrats, Liberals, and Greens -- as well as some affected residents -- continue to oppose the project, warning it will cause environmental damage and contribute to urban sprawl on or near the Greenbelt of protected lands.

The letter says the site inspections will begin next month and should be completed by the end of 2024.

“Your property has been identified as being potentially impacted by the preferred route, therefore additional field investigations are required on your property,” says the missive, signed by Jonathan McGarry, senior project engineer for the Ministry of Transportation.

“The purpose of this letter is to request permission to enter your property in order to conduct both intrusive and nonintrusive fieldwork in support of the project, as your property may include environmental and engineering features that would provide valuable input,” it continues.

“Therefore, we kindly request your permission for field staff to conduct the required field investigations on your property,” it concludes, noting landowners will be notified three to five days before a visit and site inspectors will adhere to COVID-19 protocols such as wearing masks and keeping a safe social distance.

“Please advise if there are any special requirements or precautionary measures that staff should take while visiting your property (i.e. accommodate/do not impede sensitive farm operations, harvesting, seasonal breeding, etc.), or if you prefer to arrange a date when we can visit the property.”

The province wants to do ecological investigations of plants and animals to determine if any “endangered species” would be affected.

These would “involve trained ecologists walking the subject property recording ecological data, mapping features and taking photographs of natural features.”

There would also be soil and groundwater testing, archeological assessments and an examination of locales’ “cultural heritage” to determine if there are historic buildings on the properties.

Ford’s office said the preliminary work is necessary in the next step of the project.

“We are wasting no time getting to work building Highway 413,” said Caitlin Clark, the premier’s press secretary.

The Tories have not yet disclosed what the highway, which the government says would include a “transit way” component, will cost.

During last spring’s election campaign, Ford repeatedly declined to specify the budget, even when asked by journalists for a “ballpark” figure.

“Again, we’re going to have to go out for bid and we’ll get a very competitive cost play (from) a multitude of different companies, but we’re going to get this ... highway built,” the premier said last May.

Forensic accountant Charles Smedmor has calculated Highway 413 would cost $8.2 billion “based on previous estimates, costs per kilometre of highway and five per cent annual construction inflation.”

One landowner, who spoke confidentially due to privacy concerns, said Friday he received a letter from the province earlier this week asking for permission to enter his Vaughan farm, which would be paved over for the highway.

But the farmer said it’s not the first time the province has come to survey his land.

He noted officials have walked through the farm and checked soil samples in the past.

“It’s happened at least twice a year for the last four years,” the farmer said.

“I still don’t understand why anyone would want to build through here. You are dealing with 500-foot elevation changes, you cross the river so many times. I just don’t get it.”

The site evaluation is essential before the province begins the costly process of appropriating land for construction of the highway. Building the freeway could take more than a decade.