Ontario removed highway tolls ahead of election despite previously opting to wait
Two briefing notes obtained by Global News through a freedom of information request show then-transportation minister John Yakabuski, and then-treasury board president Peter Bethlenfalvy discussed the removal of tolls on Oct. 22, 2018, along with two Durham Region Progressive Conservative MPPs.
“The province uses toll revenue to fund important initiatives such as transit and other government priorities,” one line in the Ministry of Transport briefing documents said.While the yearly amount — roughly $22 million in revenue — would be considered a drop in the multi-billion dollar provincial budget, it was also deemed too much to give up at a time when the premier was warning taxpayers that a $15-billion deficit left Ontario in a precarious financial position.
But as the Progressive Conservatives geared up to fight for a second consecutive mandate in June’s election, the province had a change of heart. In April, the province proclaimed it would be removing the “unfair tolls” from Highways 412 and 418.Ontario removes tolls from Highways 412 and 418 – Feb 18, 2022
That same month, Bethlenfalvy, now Ontario’s financial minister, tabled a provincial budget that projected a $13-billion deficit by the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year.
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