When a Super-highway is a Sin

 

Nearly 20 years ago the Ontario government introduced legislation to protect a portion of  land in what is known as the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario. This is the region which curls around Lake Ontario and where 8 million people live,  more than half of the province's population.It is actually the most densely populated area in Canada. The McGinty government called the area The Greenbelt, and the premise was that this would be a permanently protected area of green space, farmland, forests, wetlands, and watersheds, There was opposition then, from developers and landowners. Those opposed included some farmers who felt this this curtailed the possibilities of selling their property at some point, and they had the strongest argument in my opinion.

The Green Belt has been essential for environmental protection, along with ensuring that prime agricultural land was not paved over, or became a sea of housing developments. Then came the Conservative government and the lies of Premier Doug Ford who promised not to touch the Green Belt. His administration simply has no concern for conservation or protection of our air and water. Conservation Authorities have had funding cut, and their mandates changed. Late last year six members of the Greenbelt Council stepped down — joining David Crombie, the council's chair — to protest proposed government rules they say would gut environmental protections in the province. 

Since the beginning of 2021 two major highway projects have been announced which will go through areas which are sensitive from an environmental standpoint. The GTA West 413 highway will cost $10 billion and run through 55 kilometres of prime farm land protected areas, and conservation lands And as with the 407 highway, it is more than a transportation corridor. It opens another region up to the pressures of development. The 407 is under-utilized, so why not figure out how to maximize it? 

Why should this matter to us as people of faith? Is opposing a highway Christian?

From a personal standpoint I regard this systemic dismantling of environmental protections as systemic sin. I appreciate that this may sound overly religious, and naive,  and "anti-progress." I don't consider it progressive if we can't figure out how to feed ourselves without shipping produce from the other side of  the continent, or if we can't breathe. 

And there must be some sense that "the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" rather than solely a resource to be exploited. We ignore the balance and integrity and beauty of Creation at our peril.