Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[Northern Light]

Announcement set to begin momentarily from the Premier and Minister of Transportation.

It will be about eliminating tolls on the 412/418 highways.

A step backwards in my judgement.

Psst, my source is the signs in the backdrop for the announcement:

 

[drum118]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney hold news conference to announce the removal of tolls on them

 

[innsertnamehere]

not surprised in the run up to the election.

Good for me when I visit my parents in Brooklin I guess, saves me $5 to get up to Highway 7 and back.

I'm really interested to see the flurry of announcements of new infrastructure and other policies in the next few months running up to the election.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Is it election season already?

 

[innsertnamehere]

Is it election season already?

just over 3 months away

 

[kamira51]

just over 3 months away

And the conservatives already have alot of infrastructure plans compared to the other parties.

 

[Northern Light]

Official Press Release is here:

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

Tolls disappear April 5, 2022

 

[kingkam]

Good my new home is being built right by the 412/Taunton. We move in May and greatly appreciate no longer having to pay. However, I feel the highway needs some upgrades it's extremely poor lit, needs more concrete barriers, guardrails, etc.

 

[ARG1]

Official Press Release is here:

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

Tolls disappear April 5, 2022

Surprised it took them this long. I remember they were discussing the removal of the tolls in Parliament when I was perusing through some hansards a year ago.

 

[innsertnamehere]

There has been heavy lobbying to get them removed basically since the 412 opened in 2016.

As recently as last year the PCs announced they wouldn't remove them, so this is fairly surprising to see.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney hold news conference to announce the removal of tolls on them

Next he needs to rip up the contract on the 407. This can be done with a simple change of the law. Let the foreign operators try to sue Ontario in its own courts.

Linda McQuaig: Doug Ford should cancel Highway 407 contract

Forget about the Beer Store contract, the public interest would be best served by taking back the “revenue-generating monster” GTA highway.

www.thestar.com

If we can cancel contracts for wind farms and the Beer Store, we can cancel contracts for the 407. And we should pass a law that no Premier can enter into 99 year contracts for anything.

 

[rbt]

Next he needs to rip up the contract on the 407. This can be done with a simple change of the law. Let the foreign operators try to sue Ontario in its own courts.

By foreign operator, you mean the Canada Pension Plan which has majority ownership.

Feds would make themselves whole again by garnishing part of the transfer payments made to Ontario.

 

[ARG1]

Next he needs to rip up the contract on the 407. This can be done with a simple change of the law. Let the foreign operators try to sue Ontario in its own courts.

Linda McQuaig: Doug Ford should cancel Highway 407 contract

Forget about the Beer Store contract, the public interest would be best served by taking back the “revenue-generating monster” GTA highway.

www.thestar.com

If we can cancel contracts for wind farms and the Beer Store, we can cancel contracts for the 407. And we should pass a law that no Premier can enter into 99 year contracts for anything.

Did Ford go through with ripping up the Beer Store contract? I thought that doing so would cost something like a trillion dollars, and as such he decided not to go for it.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Did Ford go through with ripping up the Beer Store contract? I thought that doing so would cost something like a trillion dollars, and as such he decided not to go for it.

You might be right. Perhaps instead he just did a workaround and allowed beer to be sold pretty much everywhere else.

 

[ShonTron]

Any contracts affected would affect the toll gantries and any billing contracts. The 412 and 418 are provincially owned and operated, with billing done by 407 ETR on behalf of the province. Same with the 407 between Brock Road and Highways 35/115.

But I don't see the big deal. On both stubs, there are only two interchanges between the 401 and 407 (which it appears will continue to be tolled). New toll gantries will need to put up at the 407/412 and 407/418 interchanges.

Poor timing - on a Friday when everyone's watching what's going on in Ottawa.