Construction on Highway 413 is set to begin “in the next few days,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Wednesday, although he couldn’t provide an answer when asked how much it would ultimately cost or when it would be completed.
When pressed about those pesky details on Wednesday, Ford stepped aside and let Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria take the podium.
“The cost of not building is far, far greater,” said Sarkaria.
Ford and his team were in Caledon on Wednesday to announce the awarding of the first two construction contracts for the 52-kilometre highway, which will connect Highway 400 in Vaughan with Highway 401 in Mississauga.
One contract was awarded to Fermar Paving for an embankment at the Highway 401 and Highway 407 interchange, with the second one going to Pave-Al to resurface Highway 10 in Caledon.
The Ford government has said that once completed, Highway 413 will save drivers up to 30 minutes each way on their commute and support more than 6,000 jobs per year while contributing more than $1 billion to Ontario’s annual GDP.
“Highway 413 is at the centre of our plan to get drivers in the GTA and across Ontario out of gridlock, and we’re getting it done,” said Ford.
“In the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty, we’re awarding critical construction contracts faster so we can get shovels in the ground on major infrastructure projects, keep Ontario’s economy going and keep thousands of workers on the job across the province.”
Several protesters were on hand at the announcement. Some environmentalists have criticized the project, arguing it would carve through prime farmland and put some endangered species at risk.
“Once again, the premier is using tariff talk to justify wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on a highway that won’t solve gridlock, while failing to provide any clear timeline or budget for this reckless and costly plan,” said Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner.
“This ill-advised project will only fuel more sprawl and pollution, while destroying the wetlands that protect us from flooding and the farmland that feeds us.”
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said instead of looking at solutions that bring “immediate relief” — such as removing tolls for trucks on Highway 407 — Ford “is focused on a project that has no timeline, no price tag, and no plans to get people out of traffic.”
“Ontarians are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic and need solutions that get them home to their loved ones now, not decades from now,” she said.
Ford said Wednesday he would not be removing tolls for trucks on Highway 407.
The lack of transparency on large infrastructure projects such as Highway 413 is unacceptable, said Andrea Hazell, the Liberal critic for transportation.
“Without clear cost estimates, timelines, or proof the contracts were awarded fairly, the public cannot assess the value of this project,” she said.
“Transparency matters, and Ontarians deserve to know the full implications of Highway 413 before billions more are sunk into another Ford project that risks leaving commuters in the same gridlock and taxpayers footing an even bigger bill.”
With files from The Canadian Press