Toronto/CMEDIA: Ontario Premier Doug Ford fulfills his pledge of officially lifting tolls today on the stretch of provincially owned Highway 407 East between Brock Road in Pickering and Highway 35/115 in Clarington.
“As of today, we’ve taken tolls off Highway 407 East, saving daily commuters $7,200 each year. That means that there isn’t a single publicly-owned toll highway anywhere in Ontario — and under our government, there never will be again,” Ford reportedly said in a social media post.
This move by the province would result in daily commuters to save as much as $7,200 annually.
“This is one of our campaign commitments that premier Ford made early on,” Ontario’s Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria reportedly said.
“It follows the trend of this government removing tools that were put in place by previous governments. First, we started with the 412, 418… and now this was the last remaining public toll in the province of Ontario, as of today, we are getting rid of it.”
The removal of tolls aligns with Ford’s broader affordability agenda, which includes the permanent cut to Ontario’s gas tax.
In a previous news release, Ford said, “I know that families and business owners are worried about rising costs, especially as U.S. tariffs threaten to raise the price of everyday essentials. That’s why we’re cutting the gas tax permanently and taking tolls off Highway 407 East, and that’s why we’ll always keep looking for ways to put more money back into the pockets of Ontario families.”
A legislation was passed by the government of Ontario banning the introduction of new tolls on provincial highwaysIn 2024 effectively ensuring this approach remains in place long-term.
“We have to recognize… the 401 is a significant economic corridor for all of us,” said Sarkaria. “Ultimately, we want to see people using more of our highways in a way that doesn’t put any pressure or cost on that.”
However, it was argued by some experts that the most effective way to manage congestion is not toll removal but rather congestion pricing — charging drivers more to use major routes like the 401 during peak times.
Despite criticism from opposition leaders, Ford has promised to build a traffic tunnel spanning from Mississauga and Brampton in the west to Scarborough and Markham in the east.
A feasibility study on the tunnel beneath the 401 is also underway.
“The tunnel is something that we’re moving forward with,” Sarkaria emphasized. “We actually just issued the RFP on it a couple of weeks ago to understand the feasibility of it as well.”
The government has also said that the tunnel could include transit options and help move people and goods more efficiently through the corridor.
“We’re exploring an express tunnel…We know that in the next 10 to 15 to 20 years, travel times on the 401 will almost double. We’re going to see significant population growth, and we need to be prepared for the future…we need to think outside the box,” Sarkaria added.
