

Paul Johnston, CP24.com





Toronto’s top politician is set to announce his support for road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway with generated revenue being used exclusively for transit and infrastructure projects, CP24 has learned.

Sources at city hall confirmed to CP24 Wednesday night that Mayor John Tory will announce his support for the tolls in a speech early Thursday afternoon.

The money, the sources said, will be used to support projects like the Downtown Relief Line, SmartTrack, and the rebuilding of the Gardiner Expressway.

It is estimated that a $2 toll could generate as much as $250 million annually for city coffers, according to the sources.

Tory was not available for comment Wednesday night.

In March, through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, the city formally invited third-party groups to bid on a contract to study the feasibility of implementing tolls on the DVP, from Highway 401 to the Gardiner Expressway, and on the Gardiner, from just east of Highway 427 to Leslie Street.

The RFP document posted on the city’s website at the time identified tolling as a revenue source for funding “ongoing capital and operating costs for the highways or general revenue for the city for other transportation alternatives.”

“Toronto’s aging infrastructure is placing high demands on its limited resources,” the document read.

“These two very important facilities will require ongoing investment to maintain them in a good state-of-repair.”

In a staff report submitted to city council’s executive committee in September 2015, the total cost to operate and maintain both highways for a 30-year period was estimated to be $5.7 billion.

Mayor against sale of Toronto Hydro

While the mayor will throw his support behind road tolls, he is not backing the sale of Toronto Hydro.

According to the city hall sources, Mayor John Tory is concerned about the potential impact the sale would have on hydro rates.

Instead, sources tell CP24, the city will invest as much as $250 million into the utility to assist with capital and infrastructure needs.

Tory is scheduled to address the city’s “financial health” at a press conference set to begin at 12:40 p.m. Thursday.

“Mayor John Tory will talk about his plan to address the financial health of the city, and deliver the transit, modern services and quality of life Toronto deserves in a lunchtime speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade,” a media release states.

- With files from CP24’s Codi Wilson.