Premier Doug Ford has scrapped the tolls for Highways 412 and 418 in Durham after years of advocacy from local politicians.
Starting April 5, the tolls will be removed on the only two north-south highways with tolls in Ontario. The highways connect the 407 to the 401. Ford was flanked in the announcement on Friday by a slew of ministers, including Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney.
"They're gone, they're done," Ford said. "It will cut costs for families and provide more travel options for residents. Helping reduce gridlock on local roads all across Durham region."
Ford met with Durham's regional council as early as 2018 on the removal of tolls, even before Highway 418 had opened, and has consistently been pressured by Durham city mayors and the regional chair as well.
NDP MPP Jenifer French tabled a bill in 2018 to toss out the tolls, but the bill was stalled in 2020 after passing second reading.
Ford was quick to emphasize in his announcement that it had not been his government that implemented tolls, "I just want to remind you that the person that put these tolls in was (Liberal Leader) Steven Del Duca. He was the architect of this."
The ministry had entered into a contract with Canadian Tolling Company International Inc. starting in November 2011 for a 10-year term with the option to extend for two more decades after that, under the purview of then-transportation minister Bob Chiarelli.
Del Duca didn't become transportation minister until 2014, but he said in 2017 he had no plans to remove the tolls and was minister when Highway 412 was completed in 2016.
When asked why tolls hadn't been removed yet in December 2021, a spokesperson for Mulroney also blamed the previous Liberal government, telling <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/12/29/why-do-only-durham-residents-get-tolled-roads-regions-residents-want-doug-ford-to-fix-inequity-in-gta-highways.html">the Toronto Star</a> it was the Liberals' fault for having "locked in a contract ... for the next three decades."
In a statement released shortly after Ford's press conference, French claimed the removal of tolls as a victory, piling onto the criticism of Del Duca for implementing tolls in the first place while also dishing on Ford for waiting four years to remove the fees.
"Doug Ford could and should have removed the tolls on Highways 412 and 418 years ago — instead, his government let my 2018 bill to end the tolls languish at committee ... just because Doug Ford wanted to wait until just before an election to do what was right all along," wrote French.
Questioned at the announcement about why removing the tolls took so long, Ford deflected, "Some things don't happen overnight, but at the end of the day these tolls are gone."
Liberal MPP Stephen Blais also attributed the announcement to the upcoming election, and pointed to Liberal support for French's bill that the PCs killed in committee.
"It's a shame Doug Ford signed a secret deal with the 407 just a few months ago to forgive a potential $1 billion in penalties which instead could have been used to gain a permanent reduction in tolls on the highway the Conservatives privatized," he wrote, referencing a <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/2021/11/26/ford-brokers-secret-deal-with-407-toll-road-to-forgive-potential-1-billion-penalty.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report by the Star</a> that the Ford government forgave penalties accrued by the owner of the 407 Express Toll Route.
While the impact of the toll removal won't be know for some time, an analysis done by the Ministry of Transportation in April 2021, and <a href="https://www.durhamradionews.com/wp-content/uploads/Ontario-Tolling-Analysis-Report-April-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released by Durham Radio News</a>, give a glimpse into the potential revenue lost.
From 2019 to 2020, the first year that both highways were open, Highways 412 and 418 recorded $12.8 million in combined revenue. Revenues from the highways' fees were projected to increase to $21.4 million by 2025.
The report also notes that Highways 412 and 418 had cost $662 million and $681 million, respectively, to build.
Modelling done in 2018 showed a hypothetical scenario that could now be reality. The model showed removing the highways' tolls would cost $430 million, offset by a $180-million increase in revenue for the Highway 407 mainline. The report also stated that "substantial toll rate increases would be required" in order to offset revenues lost from tolling 412 and 418.
In addition, an analysis of traffic diverted to Highways 412 and 418 showed a "marginal decrease" in the intensity and duration of traffic on municipal roads even if Highways 412 and 418 had tolls removed, according to the report.

Ford ditches tolls for Highways 412 and 418 starting April 5

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