Premier Doug Ford is evidently unconvinced he'll be alive by the time the tunnel under the 401 will be finished.
At a separate transportation announcement on Tuesday, Ford rattled off several ongoing projects that require underground tunnelling, including the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, the Scarborough and Yonge North subway extensions, and the new Ontario Line subway in downtown Toronto.
"And those are really complicated digs — really complicated," he said.
"And I'm looking at the 401 — you know, that's relatively easy compared to going underneath buildings downtown and buying up houses and so on and so forth," he said.
"So, folks, we're going to get it done. And we're getting it done for our generation, because I look over here, we're all about the same vintage, except a couple of young guys, Lecc and Prab," he said, referring to Energy Minister Stephen Lecce and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.
"But we won't be using it, but these guys will be using it, and their kids will be using it, and so on and so forth."
Ford's office did not address a question about whether the premier actually believes he will die before the 401 tunnel is built.
"As you know, our government recently took a significant step forward in the construction of a tunnel under the 401, issuing a request for proposal (RFP)," spokesperson Hannah Jensen said in a statement. "That is the stage we are at in this project that will significantly reduce traffic while supporting economic growth."
Ford has promised to build a tunnel under Highway 401, "from Brampton and Mississauga in the west to Markham and Scarborough in the east."
His government's recent request for proposals for a feasibility study suggests the project may not be feasible, and that the only way to realistically add capacity to the highway may be measures like express bus service, ramp metering or toll lanes.
The premier has been unequivocal, promising during the recent election campaign to build the tunnel no matter what.
Ford also ruled out toll lanes, promising on Tuesday that "there will never, ever be a road toll in Ontario again."
The government has offered no estimates of a timeline or a budget for the tunnel project.
Ontario removing 407 East tolls, cutting gas tax permanently
Ford made the comments during an announcement following through on two more campaign promises: to remove tolls from the government-owned portion of Highway 407, and to make his government's gas tax cut permanent.
Both will be accomplished in Thursday's annual budget, he said.
Ford did not say how much the measures would cost the province.
The Trillium previously obtained a draft briefing document prepared for cabinet that provided advice on freezing, not removing, tolls on the government-owned portion of the 407. The document said “immediate savings (for users) are nominal (between $0.20 and $0.30 per full-length trip)” and that a permanent freeze could eliminate about $3 million in revenue in 2025-26.
The revenue lost would be approximately $900 million over the next 20 years, when considering compounding and inflation, the document found.
On Tuesday, Ford said the move would save daily commuters $7,200 a year. Using the 407's trip calculator, The Trillium determined that that figure is correct for commuters who travel the entire distance of the 407 East twice a day at rush hour, every working day of the year, except for a two-week vacation.
The Progressive Conservative government first cut the provincial gas tax from 14.7 cents per litre to nine cents per litre in July 2022, and has extended the cut every six months since. During the election, Ford promised to make the cut permanent.
Ford cast the moves as cost-saving measures in a time of economic uncertainty.
"It's real, immediate relief that will help the people of Ontario face down whatever comes our way," he said, promising "to keep looking for ways to lower costs and cut fees and taxes so taxpayers can keep more of what they earn."
NDP and Liberal opposition leaders said the government isn't going far enough on the 407.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the government should remove tolls on the entire highway, about 70 per cent of which is privately owned. The move, which the NDP proposed just before the election campaign, would require a multi-billion-dollar agreement with the 407 ETR Concession Company.
The tunnel under the 401, however, is "ridiculous" and a waste of billions of dollars, Stiles said.
Ford needs to "come clean" about whether his eventual plan is to buy back the 407, which "could be far more cost-effective" than the tunnel, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said.
Ontario should pay 407 tolls for truckers so they don't have to use Highway 401 — and so the province doesn't have to build Highway 413, Green Leader Mike Schreiner said.
