Ford government considered ‘developer-proposed’ Hwy. 413 route alteration

Ontario Premier Doug Ford considered shifting a significant portion of Highway 413 from its current route, Global News has learned, to accommodate a long-standing request from a Canadian developer whose construction firms own multiple properties in the region.

A confidential “advice to government” presentation, designed to specifically brief Premier Ford, shows the highway project would have been realigned by approximately 600 meters in Caledon to prevent it from cutting through a planned housing development.

The document then outlines the catalyst for the change that was considered by the Ford government: “Developer proposed alignment.”

Portions of the “Premier’s briefing” include a detailed map of an alternate route which would have involved moving portions of the highway north and eliminating an interchange altogether, in order to unlock developable lands

Those lands, Global News has confirmed through property and corporate records, belong to Nick Cortellucci — a member of the prominent Ontario-based development family which has a documented history of donating to the Ontario PC Party and benefiting from government decision-making in the form of a Minister’s Zoning Order in 2021.

Multiple sources told Global News the proposal — which has been a long-standing request of the Premier — divided politicians and political staff over the potential consequences, including a multi-year planning and construction delay in order to re-study the alternate route.

The “developer proposed” changes also come on the heels of the Greenbelt scandal in which the Ford government was determined by the auditor general to have given developers influence over changes to legislatively protected land in order to build housing.

A spokesperson for the premier’s office said the government was no longer planning changes to the route.

“There are no anticipated changes to the previously approved highway alignment, of which 90 per cent of the construction design work is complete, with all major structures, interchanges, and crossings determined,” they wrote in a statement.

The spokesperson also acknowledged the push to move the highway.

“As is standard practice in the development of major government infrastructure projects, this proposal—along with others submitted by municipal officials, landowners, utility companies, and the public—was brought forward for review by our engineering and technical teams,” the statement said.

Cortellucci did not respond to questions from Global News in time for publication.

In 2024, Premier Ford’s 413 project cleared a major hurdle, allowing the province to fast-track construction of the 52-kilometre highway connecting the 401/407 interchange in Halton to the 410 and 427 in Peel and the 400 in York Region.

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After a years-long battle with the federal government over environmental assessments related to the controversial project, Ottawa decided to relinquish control and allow the province to push ahead.

A few months later, the Ford government announced it had completed 90 per cent of the preliminary design work on the highway, narrowed down its “focused analysis area” and had zeroed in on the “preferred alignment” of the 413, with construction to begin in 2025.

“Ontario has determined the design of all major structures, interchanges and crossings,” the government said in December.

“Identifying the preferred alignment of the highway means the province can begin releasing unneeded land back to owners for farming, residential, business and other uses.”

Despite the substantial progress, however, the project appears to be facing another internal battle, this time over a route change that could upend the entire highway.

The premier’s confidential briefing deck outlined a major consequence if the government went ahead with the “developer proposed” realignment: the new route would be “outside the defined study area.”

The change, according to the briefing document, would have “impacts to the overall design and Environmental Impact Assessment report (EIAR),” conducted for the project and would require the province to redo already completed work.

“Evaluation, fieldwork, consultation and preliminary design will be required for a newly suggested alignment – approximate delay to completion of EIAR = 1 year minimum,” the document states.

The map outlined in the premier’s briefing slide deck closely resembles a map submitted by the developer to the Town of Caledon in April 2024, showcasing a “modified route alignment” that would prevent the highway from cutting through developable lands.

In both maps, a major interchange is crossed out, and the 413 route is shifted further north of the current alignment, clearing two parcels of land currently slated for housing development.

“The final alignment of the highway has not yet been determined,” the developer argued in their 2024 submission.

“Should the highway be finalized within our modified route alignment, the proposed policies of the Official Plan Amendment would permit development around the highway without amendment to the Official Plan.”

The overall development, slated to be built on five parcels of land roughly 155 hectares in size, would include nearly 2,500 residential units – the majority of which would be lucrative single-family homes – commercial units, parkland and new schools.

Preserving the entire project, however, would have required the Ford government to significantly alter the highway’s path.

A Global News analysis of multiple maps – including internal government documents, Town of Caledon records, public land registry plans and the official 413 maps – found two distinct properties, all owned by the same developer, would exclusively benefit from the changes.

Currently, the 413 is set to include an interchange at Old School and Chinguacousy roads, and would cut through lands at Old School and McLaughlin roads.

The changes proposed in the premier’s briefing would have freed up two specific portions of land for homebuilding.

Eliminating the interchange would have allowed the development of land at the southeast corner of Chinguacousy and Old School roads.

Planning documents show a 40-hectare parcel of land at that site was slated for a development project under the name “Old School Investments Inc.” Property and business records show Old School Investments Inc. is owned by Nick Cortulecci.

Moving the route north would have also allowed another subsidiary company, School Valley Developments, to build more on 45.4 ha of land at Old School and McLaughlin roads. Further property and business records show Nick Cortulucci owns School Valley Developments.

In its 2024 application to the Town of Caledon, Cortulucci’s company argued the realignment would ultimately benefit the province.

“In this portion of the highway alignment the route alignment can be revised to avoid constraining the development of the Mayfield West Study Area and assist in achieving the Minister’s direction to increase housing supply and ensure infrastructure projects are conducted in a fiscally responsible manner,” part of the application said.