TORONTO – The Ontario government will be introducing legislation that would, if passed, ban tolls on provincial highways and freeze drivers license fees.
In a media release, the province says the ban tolls would apply to the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway once uploaded to the province, as well as the province’s 400-series highways.
“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.”
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,” the media release stated.
The province is also proposing to save drivers time by automating the licence plate renewal process starting this summer. The automatic renewal process would 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 20th.
