Province rules out Gardiner, DVP road tolls after Tory revisits plan

The Ford government says it will not be implementing any new road tolls in Ontario, after John Tory told a local news station he would reconsider the idea of adding tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway if he is re-elected Toronto’s mayor.

Tory had put forth the proposal back in 2016 but it was later nixed by the then Wynne government.

Earlier on Thursday, incumbent mayor Tory told AM640 he would consider revisiting the plan because he believes it could work.

In a statement he later posted on Twitter, Tory said his position on the matter hasn’t changed from six years ago.

“My position on using tolls on the Gardiner and DVP has not changed since I requested authority from the province in 2016. The government at the time turned the request down,” Tory said.

“Toronto has a significant budget shortfall due to the pandemic and the next council will need to be focused on closing this gap.”

CityNews reached out to the province and asked whether it would consider adding tolls to the Gardiner and the DVP.

“Our government will not be imposing any new tolls on any roads in Ontario,” a spokesperson for Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said in a statement.

Back in 2017, the Liberal government at the time denied Tory’s plan to charge a $2 toll on the two highways, in favour of giving Ontario municipalities a bigger share of gas tax money for transit.

At the time, Tory lashed out saying it’s time to stop being treated like a “boy in short pants” when dealing with the province.

Although the Ford government recently passing legislation to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa veto power over bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities, such as building housing, it wouldn’t apply to decisions that fall directly under provincial jurisdiction.

“The question of road tolls is clearly within the authority of the provincial government however, and I respect and understand that. I would not think the matter of tolls would be a priority area of discussion.”

Earlier this year, the Ontario government removed tolls on GTA highways 412 and 418, saying it would allow more travel options for residents in the area.

“The unfair and expensive tolls on Highways 412 and 418 are officially gone for good,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement at the time, adding “While the previous government imposed these tolls on drivers, our government is getting rid of them.”

Both highways were built under the previous Liberal government and connect Highway 401 to the 407. Highway 412 runs through Whitby while the recently completed 418 runs through Clarington.

With files from Michael Ranger of CityNews; and The Canadian Press