Doug Ford says Ontario taxpayers will bankroll the toll-free Bradford Bypass
Premier Doug Ford is greeted by London Mayor Ed Holder at Nestle Canada’s ice cream factory in London, Ont. Nov. 5, 2021. On Monday, Ford took a campaign-style swing through Bradford, where he announced the proposed Bradford Bypass would not be tolled when it is scheduled to open in 2024. NICOLE OSBORNE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ontario taxpayers will cover the entire cost of the new Bradford Bypass linking Highways 400 and 404, vows Premier Doug Ford.
On a campaign-style swing to Bradford, Ford announced the proposed 16.2 km highway would not be tolled — like the Highway 407 — when it is scheduled to open in 2024.
“I want to be clear our plan for building roads, bridges and highways doesn’t include tolls,” the premier said Monday in a farmer’s field several kilometres from the planned route.
“Our government is fully funding the construction of the Bradford Bypass — this project is a critical part of our plan that’s building Ontario,” he said.
The price tag is not yet known, but Ford noted Queen’s Park plans to spend $144 billion on numerous infrastructure projects over the coming years.
“With both Simcoe County and York Region expected to grow at incredible speed, building the Bradford Bypass is a no-brainer,” he said, lashing out at “ideological activists who oppose any and all highways over hardworking families.”
The highway would cross 27 waterways and cut through environmentally sensitive Holland Marsh lands, impacting about 39 hectares of wildlife habitat and 11 hectares of wetlands.
Claiming the new freeway would save motorists 35 minutes a trip from Highways 400 to 404, Ford said it would “reduce highway congestion” and curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because commuters would not be idling in gridlock.
But Green Leader Mike Schreiner countered that the bypass “would pump almost 87 million kilograms of GHG emissions into the air each year.”
“Urban planning research has long shown that more highways create more congestion, traffic and emissions through induced demand. We need to crush climate pollution, not create more,” said Schreiner.
In Thursday’s mini-budget, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy pledged $1.6 billion over six years “to support large bridge rehabilitation projects and advance key highway expansion projects, including the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413.”
With the June 2 provincial election looming, the Progressive Conservatives are banking on support for highways being popular with Greater Toronto Area voters.
That’s why there is a renewed emphasis on the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413, a controversial 60 km freeway connecting Milton from Highway 401 to Highway 400 at Vaughan. Neither even merited a mention in the March 24 budget.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Rob Keffer said the “lack of an east-west artery hurts our quality of life (and) harms our environment” because drivers are stuck in gridlock in towns like Bradford.
“It also hurts our farmers who now compete with commuters on rural roads,” said Keffer.
“We need this link. We’ve asked for it for over 30 years. Let me just say to those who oppose this highway: you should speak to the locals. They know we need it.”
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, who represents York-Simcoe, said the environmental assessment done a quarter century ago would be updated before construction can begin.
“There are a number of important studies that need to be done and they are currently in process. It will take a little bit more time to complete and we’ll be in a position to put shovels in the ground once that environmental assessment process is complete,” said Mulroney.
“Each step of the procurement process will bring us closer to awarding the design build contract expected next March so that we can get shovels in the ground as soon as possible,” she said.
A recent Torstar/National Observer investigation raised questions about the ownership of land adjacent to the project.
Associate Transportation Minister Stan Cho’s father co-owns East Gwillimbury’s Silver Lakes Golf and Country Club, which would be spared from development under a recently proposed route change.
Cho has declared a conflict of interest and no information about the bypass is shared or discussed with him.
NDP MPP Catherine Fife (Waterloo) said “highway plans should be based on commute times and safety, not politics and making your buddies rich.”
“At least 3,100 acres of prime real estate along the route are owned by Ford’s buddies and high-value donors — so Ford is bumping back other highways projects to prioritize enriching his friends with the Bradford Bypass,” said Fife.
“He’ll do anything for his buddies, no matter what it costs the rest of us.”
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