New campaign says expressway would destroy agricultural operations
TORONTO | Traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples — The David Suzuki Foundation has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the destructive impacts of Highway 413 on farmers and agricultural land.
As part of the campaign, the Foundation is running print and online advertisements in media outlets near the highway route. The ads feature a photo of a local farmer and the headline, “Highway 413 would destroy my farm.”
“Everyone knows Highway 413 would pave thousands of acres of prime Ontario farmland,” says Gideon Forman, the Foundation’s transportation policy analyst. “But it’s also going to put local farmers out of work. If you enjoy eating, that should be of concern to you.”
Among those adversely affected would be Caledon farmer Rav Singh, who appears in the Foundation’s advertisements.
“Highway 413 would destroy my farm,” Singh says. “We need our communities to be more connected and accessible, but food security and the protection of our farmland are not trade-offs we need to make. Another future is possible — a sustainable future where our communities are thriving, connected and can feed themselves.”
The proposed expressway would run some 60 kilometres from Vaughan to Milton, paving about 2,000 acres of top farmland.
In addition to the farming campaign, the Foundation has run anti-413 advertisements on Brampton Transit and the TTC; released an open letter opposing the highway signed by over 50 faith leaders; launched a petition aimed at the federal government signed by more than 54,000 Canadians; and run media tours of the highway route to show journalists what will be lost if the project goes ahead.
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For more information or media interviews, please contact:
Stefanie Carmichael, scarmichael@davidsuzuki.org, 437-221-4692
The David Suzuki Foundation (DavidSuzuki.org | @DavidSuzukiFdn) is a leading Canadian environmental non-profit organization, founded in 1990. We operate in English and French, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. We collaborate with all people in Canada, including First Nations leadership and communities, governments, businesses and individuals to find solutions to create a sustainable Canada through scientific research, traditional ecological knowledge, communications and public engagement, and innovative policy and legal solutions. Our mission is to protect nature’s diversity and the well-being of all life, now and for the future.