Premier Doug Ford says the upload of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway from the City of Toronto will be complete late next year.
“As part of the new deal our government reached with the City of Toronto, Ontario will officially be taking ownership of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardner Expressway in the fall of 2027,” Ford told reporters while standing in front of the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto Thursday.
He said until then, the province will provide the city with $350 million to continue to operate and maintain the highways.
“By taking ownership of these two highways, we’re helping important reconstruction work happen without delay so we can preserve both highways for future generations,” Ford said. “We’re also freeing up billions of dollars over the long term that the City of Toronto can invest in other municipal services, like housing-enabling infrastructure, transit, public safety and local roads.”
Mayor Olivia Chow spoke alongside Ford and said the upload makes sense because the DVP and Gardiner are regional roads used by people across the GTA, not just Toronto residents.
“Through this deal, we can keep Toronto property taxpayers’ dollar in our city, pay for infrastructure we use locally,” Chow said.
The city said the new deal frees up around $1.9 billion over a decade that the municipal government can put toward other needs.
Since the new deal was signed in 2023, the province has provided the city with $431.4 million to support and maintain the highways, including $73 million to accelerate repairs on the Gardner Expressway.
The province said in a statement that during the transition, it will “help guide capital decisions to align work on both highways with applicable provincial standards.”
Provincial officials confirmed to CP24.com several weeks ago that there are plans for the OPP to take over policing of the Gardiner and DVP from Toronto police, however no date was provided for the transition.
Both the DVP and Gardiner are being designated “King’s highways,” in line with 400-series highways around the province, an OPP are building a new detachment at Ontario Place.
While he talked about gridlock being a major problem, referring to the Don Valley Parkway as the “Don Valley parking lot,” Ford did not offer any specifics on what the province might do to make sure traffic moves faster on the busy roads. However he did tout steps the province is taking to alleviate congestion more broadly, such as a major public transit expansion and highway projects elsewhere.
When it comes to “New Deal 2.0” discussions – talks about steps to further help the city through major policy changes – Ford gave few details.
“Let’s get through this,” he told reporters when asked what comes next.
