…congestion will worsen on highways 400 and 404, the province continues to intentionally mislead Ontarians using unverified traffic studies.
We are fighting the construction of a highway that would run through some of the most important wetland left in central Ontario, endanger the health of Lake Simcoe, increase sprawl development, and fragment the Greenbelt. Ontario needs healthy, sustainable communities, not new highways – especially during a climate crisis.
Read our debunking of the many myths, like "highways reduce emissions," or "highways reduce congestion," that proponents are using to try to justify the project.
See our Bradford Bypass issues page, which includes a timeline of the project, key concerns, as well as the documents on tolls we from the government through an FOI request.
Simcoe County is currently in the midst of its Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) process. Developers want to build sprawl. With the converging crises of climate change, habitat loss, inequality and lack of housing affordability, infrastructure debt, skyrocketing food prices, among others, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Despite commitments to improve the health of Lake Simcoe this government is poised to make decisions that would set us back decades and risk losing the lake’s billion dollar ecosystem services.
Crisis is also an opportunity. We can build back better. But, unless we stand together, politicians will support the broken status quo.
Protecting our natural heritage while building communities responsibly is smart and ensures a healthy and sustainable future for Ontario.
…the changes in Bill 23 do not address the housing affordability crisis, rather they will simply put more money into the pockets of billionaire developers at the expense of Ontarians and the natural resources we depend on.
Recent moves by Ontario’s government seem likely to create conditions for a number of crises in the next few decades that, when combined, are greater than the sum of their parts. This is what’s known as a “polycrisis”, a term popularized by economic historian Adam Tooze.
How can I make my community more sustainable? That’s the question that many of us have been asking ourselves more and more as of late.
…value in the context of a community is achieved through livability, which in turn drives economic and social dynamism. Propinquity, or the accessibility of the areas we inhabit, whether that’s for people we socialise with or for consumer good or employment, is the key metric to achieve in this regard. Build communities for people and good things happen.
Highways are the gateway drug for sprawl and the Bypass is a perfect example. Developers own over 3000 acres of land around this highway waiting for the greenlight to destroy more farmland and wetlands.
By building spaces that prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion, we and setting the foundations for a future that is more sustainable. Sprawl, including vertical sprawl, is not the right way to do this.
We believe a healthy environment is critical to Simcoe County’s future.
Farmland, water and natural heritage are key components of a healthy environment and thriving economy, and need better protection.
We are calling for the expansion of the Greenbelt to Simcoe County, so that current and future generations can benefit from clean water, local food and green spaces.
Governments have failed to act to protect our communities and the futures of our children and grandchildren, and they continue to treat our environment as if it’s incidental to life, rather than a foundation for it.
We need strong community organizations to fight for our future, now more than ever.
Please consider donating to support our work. It’s people like you who make us possible.
We send out a once-monthly newsletter full of information on what’s happening in Simcoe County and beyond, including information on how you can take action to protect the health of your community.
