Axing tolls on Highway 407 East will save daily commuters $7,200 every year
Pickering, February 5, 2025 — Today, Doug Ford, leader of the Ontario PCs, committed that a re-elected Ontario PC government will protect Ontario drivers’ wallets by removing tolls from Highway 407 East, the last tolled stretch of publicly-owned highway in the province. Ford also promised that a re-elected PC government will make its gas tax cut permanent, as well as introduce legislation to ban so-called congestion charges on Ontario roads and highways.
“With President Trump continuing to threaten tariffs that would skyrocket costs for hard-working families, it’s never been more important to protect people’s wallets by putting more money back into their pockets,” said Doug Ford. “Our PC team will save Ontario drivers thousands of dollars every year by axing tolls on Highway 407 East and making our cut to the gas tax permanent. We’ll protect Ontario drivers by banning congestion charges just like we banned road tolls.”
In the face of ongoing tariff threats that would make life more expensive for Ontario families, the Ontario PCs will reduce government fees and taxes on drivers to keep costs down. The plan includes:
- Taking tolls off Highway 407 East, which runs between Brock Road in Pickering and Highway 115 in Clarington, saving daily commuters $7,200 every year.
- Permanently cutting the provincial tax on gas by 5.7 cents per litre and on diesel by 5.3 cents, for total savings of 10.7 cents per litre of gas when combined with the PCs’ cancellation of the Liberal cap-and-trade carbon tax. Since the gas tax cuts were first introduced, the Ontario PCs have saved the average driver more than $400.
- Legislation to ban use of congestion pricing on all provincial and municipal roadways, building on previous legislation that banned new tolls on provincial highways.
These new actions to protect wallets are in addition to existing measures that have saved drivers hundreds of millions of dollars since 2018, including:
- Eliminating the license plate sticker, saving families $120 per year for every car they own.
- Removing tolls from Highway 412 and Highway 418 in Durham Region, saving drivers a total of $68 million over the five-year period from 2022 to 2027.
- Permanently freezing fees on driver’s licenses and photo cards, saving drivers $66 million over the next five years.
- Ending the Drive Clean program, saving drivers more than $40 million each year.
Doug Ford was joined by mayors from across Durham Region, who offered Ford their full support and endorsement and urged Durham voters to support their local Ontario PC candidates.
“Premier Ford’s leadership is exactly what Ontario needs as we navigate complex challenges, like the tariff dispute with the United States,” said Kevin Ashe, Mayor of Pickering. “Doug Ford has shown time and again that he truly understands the struggles Ontarians face, including when it comes to making life more affordable. His proactive solutions, such as eliminating tolls on the 412 and 418, removing license plate sticker fees, offering a $200 taxpayer rebate and standing against the carbon tax, demonstrate his commitment to making life more affordable for people across the province. He’s proven that he is not afraid to take bold, decisive action, always putting the best interests of Ontarians first. Ontario needs a leader who is tough, principled and willing to stand up for what’s right. Premier Doug Ford is that leader. I fully support Doug Ford and give him my complete endorsement.”
“Doug Ford and his team have provided stable, consistent and predictable governance for the people of Ontario,” said Adrian Foster, Mayor of Clarington. “Ontarians, more now than ever, need predictability and stability. In Clarington, the Doug Ford government has provided strong support for the infrastructure that our community needs; new schools, significant investments in our local health-care sector, funding for the widening of Bowmanville Avenue and much-needed help towards building a training facility for our first responders. We are very happy to have the tolls lifted from the 412 and 418 and we know that we are seeing great technological progress, including in our nuclear industry, which has been led by the Ford government. That progress is creating high-paying jobs and global opportunities, right here in Clarington. Doug Ford is a proven, capable leader. Doug Ford has my endorsement.”
“Premier Ford and the Ontario PC government have been fantastic partners for the City of Oshawa and Region of Durham,” said Dan Carter, Mayor of Oshawa. “I am particularly appreciative of the investments they have made in health care, including by expanding the Learn and Stay program to help train thousands of additional doctors, as well as their other investments to expand primary care. As Premier Ford campaigns on a plan to protect Ontario, he has my full endorsement and support.”
“Doug Ford and Peter Bethlenfalvy are true builders, delivering real results that have transformed Ontario – and Uxbridge is proof of that,” said Dave Barton, Mayor of Uxbridge. “Under their leadership, we’ve seen new hospitals, long-term care facilities and major transportation projects like Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, the 400 expansion and the widening of Highway 7. More tunnels are being dug under Toronto than in the last 40 years and the GO Lakeshore East expansion will connect Durham like never before. Here in Uxbridge, their impact is undeniable. We have approval for a new hospital and long-term care facility as well as the creation of the Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park. They’ve doubled the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund and supported our downtown revitalization through the Rural Economic Development Program, ensuring Uxbridge continues to grow and thrive. With Doug Ford and Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario is in strong, capable hands. They’re not just politicians: They’re builders committed to a better future.”
Only Doug Ford has a plan to protect Ontario:
- Building Ontario’s economy by investing more than $200 billion in our plan to build roads, highways, transit and other infrastructure projects while investing $2.5 billion to train more than one million people for better jobs and bigger paycheques in the skilled trades.
- Protecting workers in the face of President Trump’s tariffs by doing whatever is necessary to protect people’s livelihoods, including by investing tens of billions of dollars to keep people working.
- Keeping us competitive by fighting the job-killing Liberal carbon tax and urging the federal government to cut red tape and streamline approvals to get big things built.
- Cleaning up our streets by protecting families and children by banning drug injection sites near schools and daycares and clearing out encampments from public parks with new investments in shelters.
- Delivering better care, including by investing $1.8 billion more to connect everyone in Ontario to a family doctor and primary care.
Doug Ford will never stop working to protect Ontario.
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