On Highway 10 north of Brampton, Ont., a sign shows the proposed route for Highway 413. (Screenshot: Google Maps)
People of faith can make a difference. They’ve done so before.
By Emma Prestwich
Highway 413, the Ontario government’s proposed new freeway in the southern part of the province, has been widely panned, including by environmental groups and some public figures.
Now more than 50 religious leaders and organizations representing multiple faiths are joining the chorus, concerned about the impact that the new route will have on the province’s Greenbelt and its potential to generate additional car traffic.
But you might wonder: what kind of difference will 52 signatories to a letter make when a provincial government’s mind is already set?
Faith communities have helped change public opinion — and forced institutions to act — in even bigger contexts. As former Citizens for Public Justice executive director Joe Gunn highlighted in a 2018 piece for Policy Options, Canadian churches’ voices have been heard on issues like financial institutions’ investments in apartheid South Africa, the cancellation of debt for nations in the Global South and the private sponsorship of refugees.
Gunn cites an Angus Reid survey from 2017 that found more than half of Canadians say their faith is either “quite” or “very” important in shaping their opinions on societal problems and public issues.
So for every religious leader who signed this letter, hundreds more — from their families and friends to their congregations and communities — could be swayed by their statement and inspired to carry the advocacy forward.
You can read more about the letter in associate editor Julie McGonegal’s story here.
I’d love to know: Do you feel proud of your faith community’s advocacy on a social justice issue? Email me at e.prestwich@broadview.org.
