Ontario, Ottawa moving forward on Highway 413 [Video]

An agreement between the provincial and federal governments will see Premier Doug Ford’s flagship Highway 413 move forward with a joint working group dedicated to minimizing environmental impacts.

In a statement released Monday, officials said that the two levels of government have agreed to a “collaborative process to assess and manage the issues around federal species at risk throughout Ontario’s planning of the project.”

“This agreement shows Canada and Ontario’s ability to work together while recognizing their shared jurisdiction on matters to do with the environment,” federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement.

“It also ensures federal interests will be maintained on the protection of species while offering Ontario, in light of the recent Supreme Court’s decision, a greater level of clarity around the review process for the Highway 413 Project.”

This “memorandum of understanding” comes after years of back-and-forth between the two levels of government on the …