World Water Week Update on The Bradford Bypass
Ontario’s new Get it Done Act means that Highway 413 will get the same treatment as the Bradford Bypass has been “enjoying” since the Ontario government exempted it from the conditions of its 2002 Environmental Assessment (EA) approval, and streamlined the EA. The approval was based on studies and knowledge at that time. That was 22 years ago. I think we can agree that a few things have changed since then.
In February this year, Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition sent a package to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) asking them to address a number of our concerns relating to areas of Federal Jurisdiction, which are protection of fish, First Nations treaty rights, contamination of water, species at risk, migratory birds, and climate change. There have been no federal permits issued yet.
In the letter, we urge the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to proactively request a review of the Bradford Bypass’ impacts on fish and their habitat, before detailed design. An Environmental Assessment is meant to determine HOW to AVOID HARM. The current approach misses the mark by merely reporting on ways they could mitigate the harm, without considering moving the highway (except possibly to avoid MPP Stan Cho’s family’s golf course) to avoid harm. Some highlights of our research:
- Initially the project’s final Environmental Conditions Report show that there are lots of fish in almost every water body affected by the Bradford Bypass. So we question how only 3 out of 40 watercourses are listed as “significant fish habitat” in the Fish Conditions appendix to the Final Environmental Impact Assessment Report. This narrow conclusion could have grave impacts!
- No fishing, dip netting, or electrofishing was done to try to find the American Eel, endangered, but identified as being present by the Williams Treaties First Nations. “Don’t try, don’t get.” But that seems to be the point.
- The habitat of the Red Side Dace (a little fish that eats mosquitos) flows into rivers that would be affected by the Bypass. AECOM, for MTO, did not fish in these rivers either. Instead, Ontario is proposing weakening the protection of Red Side Dace presumably to ease construction of the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413.
- Between 2001 and 2022, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, ( DFO) NEVER denied a permit request for construction or failed to provide a “letter of advice” that authorizes the construction activity and provides mitigation requirements in the Lake Simcoe and Nottawasaga watersheds. A bit lop-sided, eh? There is room for improvement!
- Salt Contamination: The highway will go over the East Holland River, which has exceeded the chronic chloride threshold (120 mg/L) for more than 20 years. And yet, there is no comprehensive examination of the habitat of the fish that the DFO is being asked to permit the destruction of. There are currently no regulations under the Fisheries Act that authorize the deposit of deleterious substances from road salting activities into water frequented by fish. We are trying to get some action taken on this – the evidence is overwhelming!
- The upshot is this: AECOM consulting team worked for MTO to produce a lot of studies that the province is generally ignoring. Instead they are dismantling the policies and practices that have protected these features and creatures. Or they stopped supporting some of their advisory committees so no one has the capacity to react. Or they gutted Conservation Authority roles and so no one with regulatory power is actually looking at the impacts of this highway.
It is truly unacceptable in 2024 to have a climate-denying provincial government drive and continually weaken the Environmental Assessment processes. The next Lake Simcoe highway, 404 – Hwy 12, would also follow a streamlined process. OUR water is affected. The FUTURE is affected. Doing all this damage while traffic studies have never supported this route is beyond offensive to those of us who think our governments are here to manage our commons and our future.
Find our letter to the DFO here https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/package-for-dfo-bypass-salt-fish-fn-eel/
Please help us protect wildlife today by supporting our activism and engagement on the need to protect their habitat and water quality. https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/donate/
Please take action on salt pollution via our petition here! https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/salt-pollution/
Learn more about the Bradford Bypass and our opposition here https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/bbp/
