Ontario's pre-election budget promised $25.1 billion for highways
In April 2022, the province's budget backed Highway 413 and a string of other road projects, and restated its work on ELDs.
In late April 2022, Ontario's Progressive Conservative government released a budget that committed $25.1 billion over 10 years to expand and repair provincial highways.
The budget came ahead of a June 2022 election. It would not be passed before the campaign, which was expected to start May 4, and the legislature adjourned until Sept. 12.
Highway projects named
- A new Highway 413 through Halton, Peel and York regions. The government said it would save drivers up to 30 minutes per trip.
- A new four-lane Bradford Bypass linking highways 400 and 404.
- A new twinned bridge between St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
- Steps toward widening Highway 401 between Oshawa and Port Hope.
- Another phase of the new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph, four-laning of Highway 17 from Arnprior to Renfrew, and reconstruction of 21.4 kilometres of Highway 101.
The budget document quoted Ontario Trucking Association president Stephen Laskowski calling Highway 413 a fundamental piece of infrastructure.
ELDs
The budget said Ontario was leading work on electronic logging devices, and on testing automated and connected vehicles, through the federal-provincial-territorial Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table. Full enforcement of the federal ELD mandate was set for Jan. 1, 2023.
The government projected a $19.9 billion deficit for the year.