The province is looking into removing or reducing the tolls on Highways 412 and 418, but it could be a while before we see any movement.

Whitby MPP Lorne Coe says the first step will be an MTO study which is already underway.

“What the minister has agreed to do is undertake a study to assess the economic impact of the tolls on surrounding areas and assess reducing the rates or removing the tolls,” Coe said. “We expect to have the report completed by the end of the year.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney is expected to come to Durham for a public roundtable after the study is released.

Durham MPP Lindsay Park says the Durham Region MPPs, Park, Coe, Rod Phillips and Peter Bethlenfalvy, have been a voice for either reducing the tolls, or completely removing them if that’s possible.

“This is all within a promise we made in the last election to return the province’s finances to health and move towards a balanced budget in a responsible way,” Park said. “We were deep in the red as a province when we took over. This year alone we’re paying $13B on interest and that works out to a million dollars an hour. If we weren’t paying that we could take off the tolls tomorrow.”

The province owns the 407 East (Highway 407 east of Brock Road in Pickering) as well as Highway 412 and the future Highway 418. The tolls on that portion is approximately 30 per cent lower than the rest of the highway, according to Park.

As for the opening of the rest of the highway through Clarington, Park says there is no official date, but it’s on track and on time so “we can expect it to all happen shortly.” It was set to open by 2020.