Larry's Corner

Tolling Roads in Ontario

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted June 18, 2008)

Rob McIsaac, Chair of the provincial authority called Metrolinx has recently floated the idea of tolling Ontario’s series 400 highways to raise money for public transit. He hopes to raise at least one Billion dollars with this measure. Is it a good idea or a poor one?

Rob McIsaac is a shrewd man. If he is floating this trial balloon it must mean that he isn’t getting the answers he wants from the Provincial government on funding public transit; or the answers he is being given and the timelines for funding his bold ideas are too slow for him. It is my guess that he is therefore hoping to use public opinion to pressure the powers that be to come up with sufficient funds or alternatively to allow roads to be tolled.

If you can measure public response by the Spectator’s on-line poll, public opinion is solidly against tolling. The question to ask ourselves is why, when in the United States, road tolls are a matter of daily life, are we so toll-averse in Canada?

In fact, you will recall in an earlier column I wrote about some citizen’s wish to toll the new Red Hill Valley Parkway and the Linc. Council, in spite of the Mayor’s earlier support for tolls, did not act on this suggestion knowing that it would be a very unpopular move. It is interesting to note as well that our Mayor is a Board member of Metrolinx and would be aware of Mr. McIsaac’s recommendations. I wonder how he feels about tolling all the 400 highways, and by extension maybe some local roads such as the RHVP now that some time has passed and the tolling agenda is before the public, at least provincially?

In my view it would be wrong to toll 400 series highways or local roads in order to raise money for public transit. In fact, the provincial government has already pledged many millions of dollars towards public transit initiatives. Hamilton alone stands to get $300M via Metrolinx for Light Rail initiatives in the city. Clearly, the province intends to stand by its commitment. Does it have enough money? Perhaps not, but if any road tolling is to be made palatable for motorists who are footing the bill, then that money should by rights go right back into road infrastructure and improvements on our highways that might ease access and grid-lock. This additional source of funds might then free up other government money to support enhanced public transit initiatives. This is just my opinion to make the tolls more acceptable to the motoring public, not an endorsement of tolls per se. In fact, before any tolling is recommended, it would be wise for the Province to think long and hard.

I do believe that any new road infrastructure such as the Mid-Peninsula corridor should be a tolled road. The public will see this as an enhancement and would I believe accept paying tolls for improvements. However, to toll existing roads already paid for by public tax dollars will be seen as a tax grab and resisted strongly, I believe. Mr. McGuinty promised not to increase taxes when he won his second majority. I don’t believe he wants to repeat the trauma he experienced when, after saying the same thing during the first mandate, he introduced a health premium/tax on Ontario residents. Then he was able to argue that the Tories had hidden the true state of Ontario’s coffers. He cannot do that now.

For this reason I believe that Mr. McIsaac’s trial balloon will not float very high. His ambitions and his Board’s may soar, but the reality of Provincial politics will ground them fairly quickly. Public transit enhancement, which is a laudable goal, will have to find an alternative funding source to road tolls!

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