Activists will be rallying outside Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s office Saturday to call attention to the provincial government funding new highways while health care struggles.
The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario York Region is joining other groups across the province in a Health Care, not Greenbelt Highways rally. The rallies aim to protest the major highway projects, like the Bradford Bypass, that the province is undertaking despite environmental concerns, while drawing attention to that spending while health care flails.
The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition is one of the groups that is part of the alliance. Executive director Claire Malcolmson said this government’s priorities are wrong.
“They’re spending our money right now on highways that are half baked, half designed, half approved. Meanwhile, we have a health-care crisis that could really benefit with more money,” Malcolmson said.
Advocacy organization Environmental Defence is co-ordinating rallies across the province this weekend in partnership with local groups across southern Ontario. The local rallies are taking aim at the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413, plus the struggles with doctor shortages and emergency room issues.
The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario reported this year that the province’s per-capita spending on health care was the lowest of all the provinces in 2022.
Malcolmson contrasted that with the millions spent on the highway projects. Environmental groups have said the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413 are not necessary and pose danger and damage to the surrounding environment.
She further said the Bradford Bypass is not being planned well, done piecemeal before final approvals come through.
“Let's not spend money on massive infrastructure projects until we know they’re feasible,” Malcolmson said.
The province has defended its highway projects and said they will improve traffic flow, reduce commuter time and keep goods moving. It awarded a design contract for a section of the Bradford Bypass in May.
“Not only will the Bradford Bypass help save a generation of drivers from bumper-to-bumper traffic, but it will also create good-paying jobs and drive economic growth for decades to come,” Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a news release at the time.
As far as health-care spending, Ontario’s hallway health-care problem is worse than ever based on patient data. The provincial government has defended its health-care spending and said it has increased the budget by over 31 per cent since 2018.
Malcomson said they chose the location for its proximity to the MPP’s office, with Newmarket also being a central part of York Region and home to Southlake Regional Health Centre.
Malcolmson said that the government is set on building these highways, but that does not mean that advocates cannot take action.
“We want people to understand this fight’s not over,” she said. “While people are literally dying waiting for a bed or waiting for a family doctor or waiting for a specialist, this government is throwing money at a half-planned highway.”
The rally will take place Sept. 14 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at 16635 Yonge St., at Mulock Drive, near the MPP’s office.
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