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Decentralized Democracy

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy

  • MPP
  • Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Pickering—Uxbridge
  • Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
  • Ontario
  • Suite 213 1550 Kingston Rd. Pickering, ON L1V 1C3
  • tel: 905-509-0336
  • fax: 905-509-0334
  • Peter.Bethlenfalvy@pc.ola.org

  • Government Page
  • Nov/15/22 9:00:00 a.m.
  • Re: Bill 36 

Yes, thank you. Today I rise to speak to the second reading of the Progress on the Plan to Build Act (Budget Measures), 2022. I will be splitting my time with my two parliamentary assistants, the member for Oakville and the member for Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. I’m glad to see them here in their seats.

Yesterday, I introduced the Ontario economic outlook and fiscal review and tabled our first ever Building Ontario Progress Report. The progress report and fall bill highlight how our flexible and responsible plan is positioning the province to be ready to manage uncertainty and risk as the world faces emerging economic challenges. It is my honour to continue to discuss the highlights in that report that showcase how we have progressed on our plan to build and to discuss the measures in the fall bill that are aimed at furthering the progress spelled out in our fall economic statement.

Monsieur le Président, le rapport d’étape et le projet de loi de l’automne montrent en quoi notre plan flexible et responsable met la province à même de gérer l’incertitude et le risque à un moment où le monde fait face à des difficultés économiques émergentes. C’est pour moi un honneur de continuer à discuter des points saillants de ce rapport qui mettent en évidence les progrès que nous avons réalisés au regard de notre plan pour bâtir et de discuter des mesures prises dans le projet de loi de l’automne pour faire suite aux progrès annoncés dans notre énoncé économique de l’automne.

I am pleased to say that we have made significant progress on our plan. I will first take a moment to list the key pieces of legislative business contained in the bill.

Related to the Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income Act, we are proposing to temporarily double the Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income System payment. This temporary measure would be for 12 months, starting in January 2023. This step is a way that our government can help keep costs down for low-income seniors.

Mr. Speaker, we are also proposing an extension of the gasoline and fuel tax rate reductions under the Gasoline Tax Act and the Fuel Tax Act. We are also working to keep costs down and put more money back in the pockets of the people of Ontario by including the cut to the gas tax and the fuel tax. Statistics Canada noted that the province’s rate cut was a contributor to the decline in gas prices in Ontario for the month of July, helping to lower consumer price inflation.

This bill also proposes amendments to the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit under the tax act of 2007. The proposed amendments would expand eligible expenditures for the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit to include location fees to help attract domestic and foreign film and television production to the province, and incentivize more on-location filming in communities across Ontario.

De plus, nous proposons des modifications au crédit d’impôt de l’Ontario pour les services de production, prévues dans la Loi de 2007 sur les impôts. Les modifications proposées permettraient d’élargir les dépenses admissibles aux fins du crédit d’impôt de l’Ontario pour les services de production en y incluant les frais de lieux de tournage pour attirer la production télévisuelle et cinématographique canadienne et internationale dans la province, et encourager davantage les tournages dans des localités de l’Ontario.

We are also proposing to extend the current freeze on the salaries of members of provincial Parliament. We also have proposals related to the acts that provide the government with the usual spending authority it requires to carry on operations for the 2022-23 and the 2023-24 fiscal years.

In relation to the Securities Act, we are proposing to introduce rule-making authority to allow public companies to digitize access to certain financial documents. This proposal shows how Ontario is moving ahead with modernizing the way public companies communicate with investors and the market to reduce regulatory burden and support the digitization of the economy.

We are also proposing amendments to the Pension Benefits Act related to the framework to target benefit pension plans. These amendments will allow the government to work with stakeholders to develop a clear and fair framework for their pension plans, specifically around funding, governance and communication.

Finally, Madam Speaker, we are proposing amendments to authorize the creation of a provincial clean energy credit registry. This proposed change would launch a voluntary clean energy credit registry in 2023 to help boost competitiveness, attract jobs and provide businesses with more choice in how they pursue their environmental and sustainability goals. These legislative changes and amendments are part of our government’s plan to build Ontario. This province, its people and our government are focused on getting things done.

Our Building Ontario Progress Report shows how we are making progress in attracting investments and creating good jobs. It is our government that has, over the last two years, helped attract $16 billion in transformative global auto investments of electric vehicles and electric vehicle batteries in Ontario. And it is our government that is investing $2.5 billion to help make Ontario a world-leading producer of low-carbon steel. I’m sure the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade would completely agree with me. We got a thumbs-up.

It is our government that is building Ontario’s workforce by making progress in training and educating students and workers to succeed today and tomorrow. And it is our government that has already added over 11,700 health care workers, including nurses and personal support workers, to our health care system.

It is our government that is building infrastructure for Ontario by getting more shovels in the ground on critical projects all across the province. It is our government that is building to ensure this province is a leader in Canada and across the world because, Madam Speaker, this province has had decades of underinvestment. Because of this underinvestment, this province today needs many things. It needs highways and more transit. It needs more hospitals and more schools. Ontario needs more long-term-care homes and Ontario needs schools, subways and highways.

On that last point, I’m proud to report that today, preliminary fieldwork is under way for Highway 413. Early work construction is under way for the Bradford Bypass that will serve the rapidly growing communities of Simcoe county and York region and help ease traffic in the greater Toronto area.

Madam Speaker, our government is also making progress in ways that directly impact every person and family in Ontario, no matter where they live.

Madame la Présidente, notre gouvernement fait également des progrès qui ont une incidence directe sur chaque personne et chaque famille, partout en Ontario.

To help keep costs down, our government has eliminated licence plate renewal fees, as well as licence plate stickers, and refunded the past two years’ fees for eligible vehicles. These actions have helped make life more affordable for nearly eight million vehicle owners in Ontario. To further contribute to the savings every day for households in Ontario, we temporarily cut the gas tax and the fuel tax starting on July 1, 2022. These actions build on others that the government has taken to make life more affordable, such as child care support for eligible families through the Ontario Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses tax credit.

We know that, in order to make social and economic progress, we also need to address the current labour shortages. That is why our government is focused on supporting job creation and economic growth. Simply put, we want everyone who is able and wants to pursue a job to pursue and reach their goal. We want them to know they are not alone in their pursuit—that their government is in their corner. That is why one of our key investments is in skills training. We have supported groundbreaking programs that connect jobseekers through our Skills Development Fund. It is giving people the skills and training they need to pursue a new opportunity. And I announced when I introduced the 2022 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, we are investing an additional $40 million for the latest round of this program. Madam Speaker, this brings total funding for the next round to $145 million.

We know that the skilled trades present an opportunity for successful careers for thousands of people. High school students need to know that in Ontario today, they can have a great life in the skilled trades or working with children. That is why I am pleased to share that our government is expanding the Dual Credit Program. That is creating direct pathways for high school students and learners seeking a career in the trades or in early childhood education. Thanks to this program, students are getting the opportunity to complete credits towards both in Ontario’s secondary school diploma and college credential, or a certificate of apprenticeship, giving them the opportunity to work and begin work earlier. Madam Speaker, there is a future for young people in the trades. There is a future in building in Ontario.

Our government continues to build Ontario’s economy, to build Ontario’s workforce, to build Ontario’s infrastructure and keep costs down for families and businesses. Each and every day, in every corner of our province, we are getting it done. There can be no uncertainty about the immense geographic size of the province we call home.

But, Madam Speaker, there is uncertainty about the economic times we find ourselves in. Today, all across the globe, we see emerging fiscal challenges.

L’économie d’aujourd’hui est source d’incertitude. Partout dans le monde, des difficultés financières se manifestent.

In Ontario, we are not immune to these pressures. In 2022, Ontario’s consumer price inflation reached highs not seen since the early 1980s, when I was a young man. We are seeing 40-year price spikes because of many things: the consequences of a worldwide pandemic and because of Russia’s illegal war on the Ukraine, which has caused supply disruptions across various industries. While inflation eased slightly in September, the Bank of Canada increased interest rates another 50 basis points in October, so the cost of groceries and everyday goods that all businesses and families rely on continue to remain stubbornly high.

The next couple of years are likely to be marked by ongoing economic turbulence, by uncertainty and by challenges. Understandably, Ontario seniors, families, workers and businesses are feeling financial pressure. The challenges of ongoing labour shortages and supply chain disruptions are being felt throughout our economy. Our government knows this reality is stressful for many. This is why our government has built a flexible and responsible fiscal plan, one that takes a targeted approach as we navigate these uncertain times together. It’s the right plan, and no matter what lies ahead, I have confidence in the resilience of Ontario’s economy, I have confidence in its workers, and I have confidence in its businesses and people. I have confidence in our plan.

C’est le bon plan. Quoi que l’avenir nous réserve, sachez-le : j’ai confiance en la résilience de l’économie ontarienne et dans les travailleurs, les entreprises et les populations de l’Ontario. J’ai confiance en notre plan.

Awareness of these challenges informed our work as we prepared the 2022 fall economic statement. It is why we have included in it new targeted measures to advance our plan and help families, workers, seniors and businesses. It is why we have included new plans and programs to support those families, seniors, businesses and workers.

Through these times of great economic instability and uncertainty, our government remains steadfast. We are resolved to our task. One of these areas we are determined to advance progress in is attracting investment and bringing good manufacturing jobs back to Ontario. Our government is using the strength of Ontario’s supply chain to support globally competitive, homegrown manufacturing, and build things such as the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles and batteries right here in Ontario, for sale right across North America.

We know that manufacturers are looking for ways to remove emissions from their supply chains, and that is why our government is proposing legislation to launch a voluntary clean energy credit registry. This registry would, if passed and approved, boost competitiveness for the province and give Ontario businesses another tool as they compete for global capital. Manufacturing is Ontario’s legacy and it’s Ontario’s future.

This registry is among the outside-the-box initiatives we are exploring and undertaking as we pursue making the province the destination of choice for global investors. That is why we are refocusing our approach to cutting red tape to clear up supply chain delays as well as supporting Ontario’s agri-food system so we can get goods and services to customers faster and help create more jobs.

We know that these are challenging financial times for many in our province. This government understands that the last thing the people of Ontario need right now is a tax increase at the pumps. That is why we are proposing to extend the gas and fuel tax for another 12 months, until December 31, 2023. Extending these cuts would mean households of this province would save $195, on average, between July 1, 2022, and December 2023.

Many of us will know and appreciate that seniors built this province and we owe them all a debt of gratitude, but for too many low-income seniors, covering day-to-day costs has become a source of anxiety. That is why our government is proposing to double the Guaranteed Annual Income Supplement, also known as GAINS, so seniors can receive a maximum increase of almost $1,000 per person for low-income seniors for the year.

These and other measures in the bill and the 2022 fall economic statement make the picture clear. Our government has a responsible, flexible plan, needed to help Ontario’s businesses, workers, families and seniors, as the province navigates this period of uncertainty. Whatever the economic uncertainty may bring, our government has a plan.

Before I turn it over to my two able parliamentary assistants, I also want to acknowledge my previous parliamentary assistant. The member happens to be opposite today—right over there—the member from Brantford–Brant. I want to thank him for his great support and work when he was my parliamentary assistant. Gentlemen, you have a very high bar to match.

With that, I would now like to call on the member for Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, who will also speak to the measures contained in this bill.

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  • Aug/11/22 9:00:00 a.m.
  • Re: Bill 2 

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to note that I will be sharing my time with the member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound and the member from Oakville, in that order.

It is my honour to rise on behalf of our entire government and speak to our Plan to Build Act. This legislation underpins our Ontario 2022 budget, which is titled Ontario’s Plan to Build. Our government’s budget was first released in April of this year, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to speak to how we are getting to work for Ontario workers and for Ontario families.

It’s a budget for rebuilding Ontario’s economy; a budget for keeping costs down for Ontario families and putting more money back into the pockets of their families; a budget that is working for Ontario workers; a budget for building highways, for building transit and building key infrastructure across our province; and a budget with a plan to keep Ontario open, today and in the future.

Ce budget vise à reconstruire l’économie de l’Ontario. C’est un budget qui contribuera à garder les coûts bas pour les familles de l’Ontario et à mettre de l’argent dans la poche des contribuables; un budget qui oeuvre pour les travailleurs; un budget qui permettra de construire des autoroutes, des réseaux de transport en commun et des infrastructures essentielles, à l’échelle de notre province; et un budget qui permettra de garder l’Ontario ouvert, aujourd’hui et pour l’avenir.

I will provide an overview of the focus areas of our budget and will touch on some of the highlights of the Plan to Build Act, which supports this plan.

The first pillar of our plan is rebuilding Ontario’s economy. Ontario’s manufacturing sector is key to the economic success of our province. However, by 2018, the province’s manufacturing employment had decreased by about a third since its peak in 2004.

Our government has a plan to make Ontario the workshop of Canada once again, and that plan applies to the whole province. It applies to building prosperity for everyone, in every corner of the province. Our plan to rebuild Ontario’s economy will build prosperity in the north. It will include seizing Ontario’s critical minerals opportunities and those opportunities therein.

It is time to do more to tap into the enormous resource potential across this province, starting with the Ring of Fire. Canada is the only country in the western hemisphere with all of the raw materials required for a lithium-ion battery. With northern Ontario already being a key global producer and processor of minerals, such as nickel, copper and cobalt, and home to various promising, advanced-stage lithium and graphite mining and mineral processing projects, the Ring of Fire has the potential to bring multi-generational prosperity to northern and First Nation communities while supporting a homegrown supply chain for battery technology, electronics and electric and hybrid vehicles.

In an era of geopolitical instability, seizing our critical mineral opportunity and developing the Ring of Fire is a strategic necessity for Canada. Critical minerals will protect and be part of a clean, environmentally friendly future for Ontarians and for Canadians. It will be part of a future of clean steel, with batteries, hybrid and electric vehicles as the next generation of automobiles built in Ontario by Ontario workers and sold right across North America.The government’s plan includes close to $1 billion for critical legacy infrastructure, such as all-season roads to the Ring of Fire, building the corridor to prosperity. These roads will help bring critical minerals to the manufacturing hubs in the south, which will bring prosperity to Ontario’s north and help improve access to health care, goods and services, education, housing and economic opportunities for First Nation communities.

The plan is supported by a Critical Minerals Strategy, with $2 million in 2022-23 and $3 million in 2023-24 to create a Critical Minerals Innovation Fund.

Mr. Speaker, the plan is also helping to create good manufacturing jobs right here in Ontario, as Ontario becomes a North American leader in building the vehicles of the future.

Over the last two years, Ontario has attracted almost $16 billion—yes, that’s correct—in transformative automotive investments by global automakers and suppliers of electric vehicle batteries and battery materials. This includes more than $12.5 billion in electric vehicle and electric vehicle battery-related manufacturing investments.

Our government has partnered with the federal government, municipal governments and forward-thinking partners in key sectors and the auto supply chain, including Honda Canada’s nearly $1.4-billion investment to upgrade and retool its Alliston plants so workers there can build the next generation of hybrid vehicle models—right here in Ontario, made by Ontario workers, and sold right across North America. That is great news for the 4,200 people who work for Honda Canada’s operation in Ontario.

There is also a more than $2-billion investment by General Motors to pave the way for GM’s first-ever vehicle production line in Ontario at Ingersoll, while supporting continued vehicle production in Oshawa and Durham region—an investment, by the way, that will support 2,600 jobs in Oshawa.

We’ve also seen the largest greenfield investment in over a decade. That’s an over $5-billion investment by LG Energy Solution and Stellantis to build Ontario’s first-ever large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant—an investment that will create 2,500 new jobs in the Windsor area.

And, Mr. Speaker, there’s more. Umicore plans to make an $1.5-billion investment to build a first-of-its-kind industrial-scale cathode and precursor materials manufacturing plant in eastern Ontario. At full production, the plant will produce annual cathode material volumes sufficient to manufacture batteries for one million battery-electric vehicles—almost 20% of all North American EV production at the end of the decade here in Ontario. So it’s the north, it’s the southeast, it’s the east, it’s the GTA—manufacturing is coming back to Ontario.

Ontario is also supporting investments to help make the province a world-leading producer of clean, low-emission steel to help build automobiles in the province.

But this is not all. Through the Plan to Build Act, we are also proposing an enhancement to the Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit. This tax credit was introduced in March 2020 to help lower costs for businesses seeking to expand in areas of the province where employment growth had been slower than the provincial average. The tax credit supports corporations that build, renovate or purchase eligible commercial or industrial buildings in qualifying areas of Ontario. It provides an incentive to bring jobs and growth to these communities. In the 2021 budget, we temporarily doubled the tax credit rate from 10% to 20% until the end of 2022 to provide additional support to businesses in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This enhancement increased the available tax credit support for regional investment from a maximum of $45,000 to a maximum of $90,000 in a year. Through the legislation we are discussing today, our government is proposing to extend the temporary enhancement to the Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit to the end of 2023. This would give businesses more time to make use of the enhanced support, more time to invest in Ontario’s opportunities, more time to encourage a robust economic recovery.

En vertu de la loi dont nous parlons aujourd’hui, notre gouvernement propose donc de prolonger la bonification temporaire du crédit d’impôt à l’investissement régional jusqu’à la fin de 2023. Les entreprises auraient ainsi plus de temps pour se prévaloir du soutien bonifié, plus de temps pour investir dans les collectivités de l’Ontario et plus de temps pour favoriser une reprise économique robuste.

By extending the time-limited enhancement to the Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit until the end of 2023, Ontario would be investing an additional $40 million, resulting in an estimated tax credit support of over $280 million from 2020-21 to 2024-25. This is real support to encourage growth in regions that need it the most.

In addition to this measure, another way the Plan to Build Act is supporting stronger local economies is by working to bring jobs to provincial agencies in communities across Ontario. Centralizing government organizations in one place misses the opportunity that these jobs can bring to different communities. It’s simply not fair that only select communities should have access to these well-paying jobs.

That is why we are exploring the relocation of the headquarters of the WSIB to London, Ontario. The Plan to Build Act, which we are discussing today, would give the WSIB the flexibility to determine where its head office is located, and this legislation would remove a legacy provision that requires the WSIB’s head office to be in the city of Toronto.

The government will also explore the location for new agencies, including Supply Ontario, Invest Ontario and Intellectual Property Ontario, to help ensure opportunities so all the people and all the communities of Ontario can benefit. Through this initiative, the provincial government can reduce costly third-party leases, make better use of its buildings and unlock the economic potential of smaller communities to help grow regional opportunities.

To bring jobs and prosperity to every region of Ontario, every person must have access to good-quality, high-speed Internet access. It’s an absolute necessity for doing businesses. So our plan includes nearly $4 billion to support high-speed Internet access to every community in Ontario by the end of 2025.

Of course, this plan builds on many of the actions our government has taken to date. For example, we introduced an accelerated capital cost allowance to help businesses invest in new investment and equipment. We reduced industrial electricity costs, on average, by between 15 and 17%. And we cut hundreds of millions of dollars in red tape.

So, Mr. Speaker, as you can see, Ontario’s Plan to Build includes concrete actions and investments to help create jobs and build prosperity everywhere for everyone in Ontario.

I will now discuss the next pillar of our plan, which is keeping costs down for Ontario families. The same day that our government re-tabled the Plan to Build Act, we also released the 2022-23 first quarter finances, which provides updated information about the evolution of Ontario’s economic and fiscal outlook since the 2022 budget, and as of June 30, 2022.

The numbers reflect a reality that people and businesses are feeling in their day-to-day lives, and that is, the effects of inflation are being felt in a real way, whether at the grocery store, at the pumps, or when purchasing goods or services to keep one’s businesses running. While this economic trend is global in nature, our government is stepping up to do our part to help Ontario families with the cost of living. We’re bringing forward actions to help people across Ontario keep a few extra dollars in their pockets right now so they can continue to pay the rent, to pay the bills, to pay for gas, and to pay for groceries, regardless of the curveballs the global economy throws our way.

Mr. Speaker, the Plan to Build Act proposes amendments that would provide relief to families and to workers, especially minimum wage workers and low-income families who are especially feeling the impacts of rising costs for groceries and other essentials.

Beginning with the 2022 tax year, our government is proposing to enhance the low-income individuals and families tax credit, also known as the LIFT credit, to increase and expand this benefit to provide $320 million in additional tax relief to most workers. The proposed enhancement to the LIFT credit would mean about 700,000 more people in Ontario would benefit from this tax credit in this tax year. Also, with the general minimum wage rising to $15.50 per hour, as of October 1, 2022, this would help ensure eligible minimum wage workers continue to receive additional tax relief.

So how does this tax credit work? The LIFT credit is a non-refundable tax credit that, since it was first introduced in 2018, has provided up to $850 in Ontario personal income tax relief each year to lower-income workers. Under the current LIFT credit, the benefit is phased out at a rate of 10% for individual income above $30,000 and family income above $60,000. Combined with other tax relief, the introduction of the LIFT credit means that about 90% of all Ontario tax filers with taxable income below $30,000 pay no personal income tax. Let me repeat that: 90% of all Ontario tax filers with taxable income below $30,000 pay no personal income tax. Mr. Speaker, our Plan to Build Act proposes amendments to enhance this credit so it can provide even greater benefits to the people of Ontario. So under our proposed enhancement, the maximum benefit would increase from $850 to $875, helping to put more money in people’s pockets. On top of that, we’re also proposing to raise the income thresholds and lower the phase-out rate from 10% to 5%, increasing and expanding the income ranges over which the benefit is reduced. So what does this mean for the people of Ontario? It means that, with the proposed enhancement, 1.1 million lower-income workers would see an additional $300, on average, in tax relief this year, in 2022, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in Ontario to 1.7 million taxpayers. That’s real relief. That’s relief to make life more affordable for people in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, our plan for keeping costs down also includes cutting fees. We’re making it less expensive to drive by eliminating and refunding licence plate stickers, so that for each passenger vehicle, light-duty truck, motorcycle and moped, they get relief. This on its own will save Ontario drivers $120 a year per vehicle in southern Ontario, and $60 a year per vehicle in the north. On top of these savings, our government is also helping people who are feeling the pinch at the gas pump. As of July 1, we have cut the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel tax by 5.3 cents a litre for six months. Together, these measures—eliminating and refunding licence plate renewal fees and cutting the gas and fuel tax—will help households save about $465 on average this year in 2022.

I note the member from Durham is here. We have also removed the tolls on Highways 412 and 418. This especially helps people in the Durham region and benefits every single person who uses these highways.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind members of two new initiatives our government recently announced to keep costs down in Ontario.

First, we announced an increase for Ontario Disability Support Program payments, to bring much-needed support to help offset rising living costs for these families and individuals. And we announced that future Ontario Disability Support Program—ODSP—payments would be adjusted for inflation, to help support these recipients moving forward. This comes in addition to measures we’re discussing today to keep costs down, as well as other initiatives such as the Ontario Community Support Program, and providing an additional $307 million to help municipalities, and Indigenous communities and their partners, deliver critical services that create longer-term housing solutions and keep people safe.

Additionally, beginning in September, the government will increase the maximum monthly payment by 5% for the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program. We also announced an additional investment on top of our government’s previously announced tutoring support program to provide direct education supports for students. Our government has committed an additional investment of $225 million on top of the previously announced tutoring support program, bringing the total investment in tutoring supports to over $400 million over three years. These additional funds will support a program that provides parents with greater flexibility over how to support a child’s specific needs.

Mr. Speaker, the next part of our plan I will cover is highways and infrastructure. As Ontario’s population grows, it puts unprecedented pressure on roads, highways, transit and other infrastructure, so our plan includes building roads, highways and transit for Ontario’s needs, getting shovels in the ground and getting to work for the people and the businesses of Ontario.

At the heart of our plan is a capital investment of $158 billion over the next 10 years, with planned investments of over $20 billion in this fiscal year, 2022-23, alone. Our plan includes trains, it includes subways, and it includes highways—because you cannot fight gridlock without building highways. That is why we are investing more than $25 billion over 10 years for highway expansion and rehabilitation projects right across this province, including projects such as Highway 413. Highway 413 will save drivers up to 30 minutes on their commute.

Our commitment also extends to the Bradford Bypass, a new four-lane freeway connecting Highway 400 in Simcoe county and Highway 404 in York region. That’s an area of the province expected to experience rapid growth over the next 20 years. The Bradford Bypass will take pressure off of Highway 400 and existing local roads in York and in Simcoe, giving drivers in the region relief from endless gridlock and saving them up to 35 minutes each trip.

In addition to building highways, our capital plan will invest over $61 billion over the next 10 years to fuel a huge expansion in new subways, GO rail and other vital infrastructure. In the north, we are investing $75 million to help bring passenger rail service back to northeastern Ontario.

Interjections.

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