Action Steps
1. Support Responsible Planning and Spending on the Bradford Bypass by signing our petition!
2: Support Municipal Action by Calling Your Councillor
KEEP GOING! If you’re a resident of the Lake Simcoe watershed please contact your councillor in the fall of 2023 to ask them to pass a resolution to support better planning and justification of the Bradford Bypass. Read this letter to municipalities and then write or call your Councillor to ask them to support the motion. Use our Council contact list to find your local councillor.
Read: Our press release – “Environmentalists urge province to reveal health impact of Bypass”
The Issue
The province of Ontario is recklessly putting the cart before the horse by starting to build the Bradford Bypass before necessary research and planning have been completed.
They are building a bridge at Yonge St. north of Bradford in the fall of 2022 without committing to manage:
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- Impacts on human health, climate change, or Lake Simcoe;
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- The cumulative effects of the loss of fish habitat over the entire project;
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- Salt pollution in Lake Simcoe: In 37 years, Lake Simcoe could reach the chronic guideline level of salinity. A salt-spewing highway will hasten this change;
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- Current and future local traffic congestion;
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- There is also no budget and no complete engineered drawings of the highway.
This is no way to protect Lake Simcoe and its fish!
Highway 413 & Bradford Bypass Explainer by The Narwhal
This summer our awesome Federal Summer Student and volunteers went around the areas where wells are likely to be affected by the Bradford Bypass with this postcard:
Catch up on the dirt quickly with these excellent short videos:
If you missed our Bradford Bypass town hall series you can watch the presentations here!
Find super – short videos on our shorts playlist
or watch longer segments of the Bypass Town Hall talks here.
Topics include: Bill Foster on traffic, history and process; Margaret Prophet on costs, alternatives, and what we really want; Claire Malcolmson on water impacts to Lake Simcoe, groundwater, and well users; Laura Bowman on health impacts in particular to vulnerable people including children.
Listen to Claire talk about Lake Simcoe & the Holland Marsh Highway on the WILD ONTARIO podcast
Fact-Sheet-Bradford-Bypass
Want to know more? Bradford Bypass Timeline: A Story in Brief

10,000 people, seven municipalities, and 63 organizations have asked for additional provincial or federal impact assessment for this highway.
Neither level of government has agreed, and we are not satisfied with their reasons.
Read: Bradford Bypass Final Decision Press Release
Get Involved in this grassroots effort to Stop the Bradford Bypass. Email rescuelakesimcoecoalition@gmail.com.

Our Advocacy
Municipal
Provincial
Federal
In The Media
November 9, 2023- Barrie Today: Innisfil council hits brakes on ‘prudent’ Bradford Bypass motion
October 10, 2023- Ballet Vox Podcast #79: Two renewed threats to Ontario’s critical greenspaces
June 26, 2023- CTV News: Environmental groups raise red flags over Bradford Bypass impact report
June 26, 2023- Barrie Today: Public commenting period ‘too short’ for Bradford Bypass project
June 16, 2023- Bradford Today: Bradford couple refuses to ‘bypass’ support of community
May 27, 2023- Barrie Today: Town-hall meeting to discuss Bradford Bypass set for June
May 3, 2023- The Trillium: Bradford Bypass to cost at least $1 billion, Infrastructure docs show
May 1, 2023-Law Times: Environmental groups celebrate federal court ruling on the Bradford Bypass
May 1, 2023- YorkRegion: Lake Simcoe’s health is a ‘serious concern’: letter to the editor
April 28, 2023- BarrieToday: Bradford Bypass will cost more than $800M: Transport minister
April 28, 2023- YorkRegion.com: Federal court finds Bradford Bypass decision was unreasonable
April 25, 2023- Bradford Today: Denying federal impact assessment for Bradford Bypass ‘unreasonable’
Apr 22, 2023- Bradford Today: Environmentalists rallying in Holland Landing on Earth Day weekend
Apr 14, 2023- York Region: Open letter asks Ford government to step up in protecting Lake Simcoe
February 21, 2023- Aware Simcoe: LETTER: Province hasn’t been up front on Bradford Bypass
December 15, 2022 – Ontario is poised to double the size of the Bradford Bypass, documents suggest
December 9, 2022 – LETTER: Local groups urge feds to protect natural areas
November 9, 2022 – CTV News: Construction to begin on bridge crossing over future Bradford Bypass
October 14, 2022 – OrilliaMatters.com: Bradford Bypass will ’cause harm’ to Lake Simcoe, fish: critics
September 28, 2022 – National Observer: ‘This is what’s in danger’: Requiem for the Holland Marsh
May 27, 2022 – OrilliaMatters.com: THE BIG READ: Inside the endless battle over the Bradford Bypass