Toll on DVP would have profound impact on York Region residents

YorkRegion.com
Nov. 25, 2016
Simon Martin  

Your commute might be getting a little more expensive. Toronto Mayor John Tory on Thursday announced a proposal to make the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway toll roads. In his announcement, he hinted at a $2 toll that could provide Toronto more than $200 million a year to invest in transit infrastructure.

The move could have a dramatic impact on York Region residents who rely on the DVP to get into Toronto. That fact wasn’t lost on York Region Chair and CEO Wayne Emmerson.

“I fully understand the financial pressure municipalities face to fund and maintain critical infrastructure,” he said.  “However, this proposal to toll the Gardiner and DVP will have a profound impact on York Region residents who commute into Toronto to work, visit family and friends, and attend sports and cultural events.”

Emmerson said he plans to meet with Tory as soon as possible to get a better idea of how the city would implement the new policy.

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua told the Toronto Star it is facing serious fiscal challenges.

“The reality is that the City of Toronto has billions of dollars worth of unfunded projects looking for revenue sources,” he said. “Citizens want (Mayor John) Tory to make key strategic investments in infrastructure and transit. The choice is pretty clear, you either dramatically raise taxes or move to a user-fee model. He can also seek help from senior levels of government; unfortunately, however, they are facing their own fiscal challenges." 

“There needs to be a reasonable balance between the needs of the city and the ability of all commuters to pay," Emmerson added.

Tory said tolls are a fair way to maintain the city’s infrastructure.

“On the Gardiner and the Don Valley Parkway, these tolls would be paid for by people who drive in and out of our city as well as by our local 416 residents sharing the burden among everyone who uses these city of Toronto owned and financed roads,” Tory said.

The money collected from the tolls would be held in a separate infrastructure fund to help fund local transit, he added.

While the toll might be the best solution for the City of Toronto, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) said it’s going to hurt commuters.

“The Tory-toll is going to cause gridlock on surrounding streets as people try to avoid the tolls, and it will hurt commuters,” CTF Ontario Director Christine Van Geyn said. “This toll takes advantage of people who rely on their cars to make a living.”

Any toll road would need approval from the provincial government. Transport Minister Stephen Del Duca told the press today that they have yet to see a plan from the city but will review carefully when the time comes.