Ford government officially lifts tolls on stretch of Hwy. 407 East, saving drivers $7,200 a year

CTV News

2 days ago

Premier Doug Ford is making good on a key election promise, with tolls officially lifted today on the stretch of provincially owned Highway 407 East.
The move completes Ford's pledge to remove tolls from the Ontario-owned portion of Highway 407 between Brock Road in Pickering and Highway 35/115 in Clarington. .
'This is one of our campaign commitments that premier Ford made early on,' Ontario's Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, told CP24. '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.'
While the privately owned portion of the highway will still charge tolls, the change marks the end of tolls on any provincially owned highways in Ontario — a milestone that the government is touting as both economic relief and a way to ease traffic on the heavily congested Highway 401.
The province estimates that daily commuters using the newly free section of 407 will save as much as $7,200 a annually.
Ford, in a social media post, said: '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 tolled highway anywhere in Ontario—and under our government, there never will be again.'
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 tolled highway anywhere in Ontario - and under our government, there never will be again. pic.twitter.com/7cd41ix3zK — Doug Ford (@fordnation) June 1, 2025
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.'
In 2024, the government passed legislation banning the introduction of new tolls on provincial highways, 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, some experts argue that the most effective way to manage gridlock is not toll removal but rather congestion pricing — charging drivers more to use major routes like the 401 during peak times.
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 teased that the tunnel could include transit options and help move people and goods more efficiently through the corridor.
'We're exploring an express tunnel, and that would be to move traffic as quickly as possible, with the possibility of transit underneath as well,' Sarkaria said. '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.'
Sarkaria added, 'we need to think outside the box.'