As telegraphed Thursday night, the Premier has said she will not permit road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway as requested by Toronto City Council. Speaking at Richmond Hill bus terminal Friday, Kathleen Wynne characterized the matter as a need to give suburban motorists better transit before such tolls might be considered. Instead, she says, the government will double the share of the provincial gasoline tax with the municipalities. It begs the question of how Ontario is spending that money now. And who will lose it if it goes to transit. It is a decision that creates no new income, apparently. The Premier’s calculation seems clearly connected to the next provincial general election in 2018 and the popularity of her government in the so-called 905 ridings.
