Swaths of forested land in the north end of the GTA are in the midst of being bulldozed as the Province of Ontario makes way for a new highway that stands as just one of its many highly contentious construction projects under Doug Ford.

On Tuesday, the premier and his team announced that they had solidified the contract for tree-clearing along the route of the forthcoming Bradford Bypass, a freeway spanning from Highway 400 to Highway 404 in York Region and Simcoe County that has been, some feel, suspiciously fast-tracked.

All local opposition and environmental impacts of the road aside — it cuts through sensitive wetland ecosystems and nearly 30 waterways, as well the Greenbelt — the benefit its construction will offer to developers and members of government, who Ford is known to prioritize the interests of, has drawn questions.

Others feel that environmental assessments haven't been properly conducted, the last one having taken place in 1997.

But, work on prepping the lands for the artery is already underway and on track to be completed in the New Year, per the province's release today.

For clarity, the government’s own studies show this highway will do NOTHING to solve congestion over the long-term. Local benefits are minuscule compared to the cost (1/4B per KM) and environmental damage.

Yet the PCs continue to lie the public. https://t.co/Lk9fPDnINF

— Joel Wittnebel (@JoeljWittnebel) December 17, 2024

"Crews have begun removing trees between Highway 400 and Simcoe County Road 4. This work will help streamline utility relocations and clear a path as work continues on the Bradford Bypass," the update says.

It also adds that while Caledonia, Ontario's Kodiak Tree Services will be flattening four hectares of land, "work will be done to replant trees once the west section is built."

The 16.3 km-long bypass, once complete, is supposed to save drivers an estimated 35 minutes in each direction, and along with its sibling Highway 413, is part of Ford's aggressive plan to reduce gridlock in the region and "get people moving."

But, some argue that more roads and the development that takes place around them — development that, in the case of the 413, could take place on land conveniently owned by some of Ford's donors — actually makes traffic worse.

To Ford's credit, that highway has been conceived by multiple different premiers in multiple different iterations over the decades, so was likely bound to happen in some form or another. But the premier moving full steam ahead on the bypass, the Ontario Place revitalization and other such initiatives with little regard for public backlash is also certainly nothing new.

People in Toronto saddened by sudden clear-cutting of hundreds of trees https://t.co/3CTtUtk50l

— blogTO (@blogTO) March 14, 2024

Unfortunately, when the work actually commences on these projects and reduces green pockets to dust and dirt peppered with heavy machinery, the frustration suddenly becomes more palpable, and the opposition more hopeless.

This was also seen in the case of Metrolinx's recent clear-cutting of the Eglinton Flats, ET Seton Park and even out front of Osgoode Hall for various projects, and, of course, the destruction of the Ontario Place property.