Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of constituents and other residents in the area surrounding the Bradford Bypass.
This is a 16-kilometre 400-series highway in southern Ontario that would traverse the East Holland River. Runoff from highways has been known to increase chloride pollution hot spots. A number of serious concerns relate to the construction of the Bradford Bypass.
This petition is directed to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and it requests that the Bradford Bypass be considered an undertaking or activity that is likely to result in harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat. Therefore, the petitioners request all information permitted under subsections 37(1) and 34.3(1) necessary to determine if construction of this highway should be permitted, and if so, that it be under conditions set out in formal Fisheries Act authorisation. They call on the ministers to designate the Bradford Bypass for an impact assessment pursuant to the recently amended Impact Assessment Act, as well as to require a comprehensive, transparent species-at-risk permitting process to be followed.