News

McGuinty Government’s Backtrack on Hwy. 407 won’t fool Durham Residents

March 10, 2011

For Immediate Release
March 10, 2011

Clarington – Durham Region MPPs Christine Elliott, Jerry Ouellette and John O’Toole called out the McGuinty government today on their double backtrack on the extension of Highway 407 eastward to Highway 35/115.  Earlier this morning, the Ministry of Transportation leaked information to the media regarding McGuinty’s latest plan, which would have final construction ending 7 years later than was contracted in the Federal-Provincial FLOW agreement.

This announcement was made just 2 weeks after the same government voted against PC MPP Christine Elliott’s Private Member’s Resolution urging for the full extension of Highway 407, in one phase.

Ontario PC Leader, Tim Hudak, has seen first hand the impact that this stalled project has had on the communities involved and has declared that if elected in October, a Tim Hudak government would complete the extension in one phase well before 2020.

Quotes

“From promising no new taxes to putting moratoriums on wind projects, the McGuinty government makes promises it never intends to keep.”
– John O’Toole, MPP (Durham)

“The McGuinty Liberals backtracked on their original agreement to build the extension by 2013 and even voted against my Resolution calling on them to honour that agreement.  This is clearly just a desperate move in an attempt to save Liberal seats.”
– Christine Elliott, MPP (Whitby-Oshawa)

“Terminating the highway at Harmony Road is still unacceptable. This does not address the concerns of the taxpayers of Oshawa and Durham Region.”
– Jerry Ouellette, MPP (Oshawa)

Quick Facts

  • The McGuinty government first promised to complete Hwy. 407 by 2013 under the federal-provincial FLOW agreement.  In an announcement today, the government indicated that Phase 1 would be completed by 2015, with the entire project finalized in 2020.
  • The Toronto Board of Trade estimates that gridlock in the GTA costs the Ontario economy $6 billion per year in lost production. Also noted is the fact that GTA residents face the longest commute times worldwide: 79 minutes in the GTA compared with 77 minutes and 57 minutes for New York and Los Angeles.

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Contact:
| Christine Elliott, MPP – Whitby-Oshawa | 905-430-1141 |
| John O’Toole, MPP – Durham | 1-800-661-2433 |
| Jerry Ouellette, MPP – Oshawa | 905-723-2411 |