By Staff
February 15th, 2024
BURLINGTON. ON
Anything to get the narrative off the bad, really really bad news off the front page. Keep an eye out fpr the photo ops that will follow the announcement.
The Ontario government is keeping costs down for drivers by introducing legislation that would, if passed, ban tolls on provincial highways. This ban would apply to the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway once uploaded to the province, as well as the province’s 400-series highways.
Why would they say: “If passed” The have a clear majority of seats – they can, and have, done whatever they wanted.
Premier Doug Ford is on a mission to keep costs down for families and businesses.
“Our government under the leadership of Premier Ford is on a mission to keep costs down for families and businesses,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “First, we scrapped the tolls on Highways 412 and 418, now we’re protecting drivers from the costs of new tolls. Together with our cut in the gas tax and eliminating the licence plate sticker fee, we’re saving drivers hundreds of dollars every year.”
To further keep costs down for people, the province is also proposing to make the current freeze on driver’s licence and Ontario Photo Card fees permanent through legislation, saving drivers an estimated $66 million over the next five years. By legislating the current freeze, which was originally put in place through regulation and which has saved applicants $22 million since 2019, the government is ensuring that any future increases can only be made through legislation.
What a driver wants to know is: How much am I going to say personally. Truth – not all that much.
The province is also proposing to save drivers time by automating the licence plate renewal process starting this summer, saving vehicle owners more than 900,000 hours each year. This follows recent action by the government to eliminate the cost of renewing your vehicle permit. Until the automatic renewal process begins, drivers are still required to renew their licence plates at no cost, which can be done online or in person at ServiceOntario. The automatic renewal process will only be available to drivers in good standing who do not have outstanding fines or tickets.
These measures are part of upcoming legislation that will kick off the spring sitting of the legislature on February 20, 2024. The Get It Done Act will include a variety of measures that, if passed, would build on the government’s commitments to date to streamline approvals for major infrastructure projects and housing, keep costs down for people and businesses, and support economic growth for long-term prosperity.
Isn’t Get It Done what Ryan Amato said to the bureaucrats when moving properties out of the Greenbelt.
Ryan Amato, was chief of staff for Cabinet Minister for SteveClark, who later also resigned. Amato played a key role in choosing and opening up Greenbelt land for housing development.
With Ontario’s population expected to grow by five million people over the next decade, the province is moving forward with building Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass. These highways will bring relief to one of the most congested corridors in North America, helping commuters save 30 minutes a trip so they can spend time doing what matters most to them.
September 2023: Long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT has no target date for completion, says Metrolinx CEO
Over the next ten years, Ontario is also investing more than $70 billion to transform public transit in the province, which includes the largest subway expansion in Canadian history, including the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension. The province is also moving forward with plans to extend the Hazel McCallion Light Rail Transit line by building the Mississauga loop and bringing the line into downtown Brampton and is calling on the federal government to join in a cost-sharing partnership to deliver two-way, all-day GO service on the Milton line.
The media release was followed by a list of people who had nice things to say about the planned legislation including:
– Todd McCarthy
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery
– Kevin Ashe
Mayor of Pickering
– Steven Del Duca
Mayor of Vaughan
– Frank Notte
Director of Government Relations, Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario
– Teresa Di Felice
AVP, Government & Community Relations, CAA Club Group
– Stephen Laskowski
President, Ontario Trucking Association (OTA)
– Vince Accardi
President, Ontario Motor Coach Association and Motor Coach Canada
– Sara Anghel
CEO, Greater Toronto Hotel Association
Conservative logic: we were going to sock you with a big increase in fees, but now we’re not going to. Therefore look at all the money we are saving for you.
And meanwhile the Burlington government decides to expand parking fees.
Who you gonna vote for eh?