About Us

The SMART (Save Money And Reduce Traffic) coalition was formed in 2007 in response to the attempt to push a road through Puslinch with an Environmental Assessment that was already well advanced. It consists of local residents who have a genuine attachment to this quiet rural township and a concern for environmental issues.

The group engaged an environmental lawyer and started to form links with the local municipalities and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). This process resulted in a formal submission to the EA objecting to the proposed road principally on the grounds of Provincial policy and need. The proposed road not only flouted the new Green Belt policy, but also the legally binding Growth Plan. With the road being so far to the East, this road could no longer serve Cambridge unless it was going to remove truck traffic that drove through Cambridge to get to the 401. MTO has no data that there are any large number of trucks driving from Brantford to Cambridge to get to the 401. In fact, most truckers would already be avoiding Cambridge!

In the Fall of 2008, MTO withdrew the ill-conceived Class Environmental Assessment and announced a new Individual Environmental Assessment. This new EA has complied with just one of the points raised by the SMART coalition in that it would no longer seek to go through the Green Belt. However MTO still clearly plan to put a road through rural Puslinch. This is still not included in the provincially binding Growth Plan. It is illegal.

SMART has consistently attacked MTO’s plans on the grounds of policy, we are not changing tack. Some have accused us of being NIMBYs. Sure, we don’t actually want a new highway in our backyard, but this is not the point. A destructive piece of unplanned infrastructure through this environmentally significant area is not good for any Ontarian, where will it stop, will it be in your backyard next? Our society needs to be able to get around, but not at this great cost to our environment.

Join SMART in making the Ontario Liberals see sense and hold them to their policies. Help us stop this folly before it goes any further.