'Unfair tolls': Ford officially scraps tolls on two Ontario highways

Ontario Premier Doug Ford officially marked the permanent removal of tolls on Highways 412 and 418 in Durham Region on Tuesday morning.

“The unfair and expensive tolls on Highways 412 and 418 are officially gone for good,” Ford said at a ceremony marking the removal in Whitby on Tuesday. “We're putting money back into people's pockets.”

The Ford government first announced the elimination of tolls on the two roadways in February, designating April 5 as the date of removal.

The move came after a number of Durham Region mayors wrote a letter to the province in December, urging it to scrap the tolls, which were the only provincially-owned north-south highways that charged drivers.

When Ford was asked how the government was able to finance the removal of tolls, he said the province’s economy was “humming.” This comes alongside other big spending announcements from the government, including eliminating licence plate renewal fees and tabling legislation to cut the gas tax for six months. These announcements were made in the weeks ahead of the June election.

“Revenues have gone up. When you create more jobs, more people are paying into the Queen's Park office,” the premier said.

Highways 412 and 418 were built under the previous Liberal government as part of the Highway 407 east extension.

However, the 407, which is privately owned and operated, will not be affected by this change.

The now toll-free highways are both approximately nine kilometres long and link Highway 401 with Highway 407, in the area of Whitby, Ont.