The price of democracy...
and the cost of freedom lost.
I have always believed, naive as I may be, that government can and should be a benevolent actor in our society. I believe democracies borrow power from the public to make the best decisions on their behalf. A system that ensures the welfare of the public - stewards, protectors, advocates and problem solvers. I know how idealistic this sounds.
It’s probably no accident that I ended up with this belief. My dad was born in Leiden, Netherlands in 1932. He was just about to turn 8 when Nazis invaded his town. Formative years of his life were spent under curfew, fear, starvation and cruelty. Of course, this had a large impact on my father and how he viewed freedom and democracies in general.
From the time I was little he would talk to me about politics and his favourite question to me was “Margaret what do you think of the political situation in Canada?” which of course I didn’t understand, but he’d chuckle as I’d answer “It’s good?”. My dad was an avid voter and a card carrying member of the Conservative party. He hated Ronald Regan and thought the greed of the world would end us all. He was an environmentalist and nature lover before it became a status symbol. “Animals are much kinder than humans” he’d say.
He didn’t tell me much about the war or his experience in the labour camps, but what he did tell me stuck with me. He’d say, “The price of democracy is cheap compared to the cost of freedom lost. No matter how inconvenient democracy is, it’s a far better option than dictorship.” He believed it was an incredible gift that we should honour, strengthen and work for.
I internalized all of that to have bold and perhaps unrealistic expectations for our leaders. It’s not the worst thing to have aspirations for what your country and your community can become. And yet, I’m routinely disappointed in what has become our political class and their priorities.
Case in point is working on the Bradford Bypass issue. A 16 km highway project that would connect Highway 400 and 404 cutting through the Holland Marsh, Greenbelt and key wetlands for Lake Simcoe. In its path are ancient Indigenous heritage sites as well as endangered species, citizen’s wells and farmland. A lot to damage for the remarkable price tag of $4 billion (that’s $250 million per kilometre). In the time of a climate crisis and rampant biodiversity loss, we know that protecting whatever green space we have left AND reducing consumption of fossil fuels are required actions.
Where are the stewards of our farmland and food supply? Where are the political leaders who are thinking of the world future generations will inherit? Where are the leaders who speak so eloquently about reconciliation with First Nations? They are now silent when destroying Indigenous sacred sites to shave minutes off a morning commute for a select group of their voters.
In order to get to the destruction of all of these things faster the provincial government exempted itself from checks and balances within the Environmental Assessment Act which has been around since 1975.
Most alarmingly (as if that hasn’t been enough), is the lack of concern about public health for those communities along the route. Health science has clearly outlined that Traffic Related Air Pollution (TRAP) has significant impacts to those that routinely travel and live in proximity to highways. In fact, Health Canada has suggested that no schools or residences be built within 500m of highways due to the known health impacts which include: Alzheimers, heart disease, lung disease, childhood leukaemia, improper lung development in children and premature death.
So when SCGC started to look into these health impacts, we were hoping that we’d find a process to inform and protect people since there are many businesses and hundreds of houses within close proximity. But no. Instead we found a provincial government that has clearly prioritized building a highway over the health of those communities along the route. What we know:
There is no legal obligation for the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to meet any Air Quality Standard including considering carcinogenic compounds and ultra fine particulate coming from vehicles that are responsible for many of these diseases;
There is no health impact assessment being done by MTO to determine what the cumulative health impacts will be from this highway due to worsening air pollution, polluted water and noise. Why?
Despite TRAP science outlining the increased health risks of encountering these chemical in an outdoor setting especially for children, no parks or recreation areas that routinely host children’s activities were considered as “critical receptors”. That means that MTO isn’t considering these places or monitoring them when doing their studies.
There has been no mention within public information sessions hosted by the Ministry of Transportation about the impacts of TRAP on their health and no precise communication with municipalities about this health risk and how they will address concerns.
Recent studies from MTO rely on the idea that more people will drive electric vehicles; therefore, emissions will be less. However, some of the most serious health impacts come from ultra fine particulate matter which comes from tires and brakes - still a concern with electric vehicles. Yet, there is no plan to address this or even reconsider whether a highway is the best option to protect public health.
So as a mom, I think about the families along the route that know nothing of what harms could come their way. Children playing in parks alongside the highway, most unaware of the poison they’re breathing in. Seniors or those with limited heart and lung function will suffer as well. And so forgive me if I expected the plight of those people, the harm to their families as a result makes me believe that someone, one politician, one “leader” would say something. Crickets.
Consequently, we’ve started to take action to get the word out. We’ve launched a website where you can send a message asking for strong health assessments and commitments. We’ve studied the air quality mapping process and found it deficient so we created our own. Now we’re in the process of sending information packages to all of those places to let them know that their health and that of their clients (including children in daycare and seniors in long term care) is at risk. We’re working with media to get the word out before its too late and postering in high risk zones.
It would be nice if our provincial government was the obvious steward and caretaker of public health and our future locally, but they are only focused on “getting things done” regardless of the public and financial cost. So, in the absence of political leadership, it requires civil society, concerned citizens and brave community leaders to speak up.
It seems like this is exactly what my dad meant by the price of democracy - it requires work from all of us to keep it honest, transparent and wisely using the power we lend it.
Weekly News Digest - “The Blowhole”
Here are some emerging stories and events that we think will have an impact on our region that we’re keeping our eye on.
Sign the petition to have a cumulative health impact assessment done for the Bradford Bypass. You can also read our news release to learn more about why we’re concerned.
Keeping an eye on our water. Recently, blue-green algae was reported in Springwater Township at Orr Lake. When water has blue-green algae in it people shouldn’t drink it, swim in it or allow their pets/livestock in it. Blue green algae is commonly caused by nutrient loading into the lake such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Most often this comes from storm water, waste treatment plans and run off from fields/roads. These events are increasing in our watersheds including Lake Simcoe which demonstrates that these water bodies are under stress. You can see water advisories for the area at the Health Unit website here.
Digging deeper into the Niagara Escarpment. Walker Aggregates and the Township of Clearview have come to an agreement to allow the mining company to dig 10 meters further down that it originally requested. We have long opposed deep drilling for aggregate because of its impact on groundwater. This agreement will require exemptions to the Niagara Escarpment Plan - which is supposed to protect a recognized world biosphere - to allow them to dig deeper as well as modifications to local official plans. You can check out our coalition member Reform Gravel Mining Coalition to learn more about the dangers of this unchecked industry.
Join the Pod
Like what we talk about and want to engage with our coalition more? Check us out on social media or drop us a line if you’d like to volunteer: info@simcoecountygreenbelt.ca
