Holland Marsh Highway is a bad idea that needs to go

June 9, 2021

QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released the following statement regarding the Holland Marsh Highway:

“The Holland Marsh Highway is a bad idea, and local municipalities are catching on.

In the last two weeks, local councils in both Barrie and Innisfil voted against motions declaring their support for the project. And just recently, the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers raised significant concerns about the environmental consequences of the highway.

Recent reports showed that global CO₂ levels reached the highest level in more than 4 million years. We need to urgently reduce our emissions, and that starts with rethinking transportation.

We don’t need more 4 lane highways and cars on the road.

And we definitely don’t need more highways that run directly through the Greenbelt, pave over the Holland Marsh, and threaten the already at-risk Lake Simcoe.

The Toronto Region Board of Trade estimates the highway will cost at least $1.5 billion. That’s money that could be spent on transit, and building more affordable and livable communities.

Yet the Ford government seems to not be considering alternative options and is pushing ahead with the highway with plans to start construction in the coming months — all based on an outdated environmental assessment from 1997.

Greens will continue to support the community and local municipalities’ voices advocating against this ill-advised highway.

The Holland Marsh Highway is a bad plan, and it needs to go.”

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