“Ontarians are being let down by the federal government’s decision to not put back in place a federal impact assessment for Highway 413,” Gray said. “It is now impossible for federal decision-makers to understand how to best mitigate cumulative impacts on the environment, and to understand species at risk and conditions downstream.”

There are 29 federally-listed endangered species along the highway route. Among these are aquatic species in need of protection, such as the silver shiner and the redside dace, Gray noted.

Evidence strongly indicates the redside dace minnow may no longer exist in the wild in Canada, if the highway is built, Gray said.

“The federal government has a responsibility under the Species at Risk Act to ensure the survival and recovery of federally protected aquatic species,” Gray said. “Allowing this highway to move forward would destroy the remaining habitat of these endangered species.”

The group says environmental assessments, when conducted properly, prevent the government from falsely claiming that a project is safe.