CBC News is saying Premier Wynne will reject Toronto’s request to impose tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, a move the City had asked for in order to pay for new transit projects. Sources tell the news service that Wynne believes Mayor John Tory’s plan for tolls “just isn’t affordable” for drivers when they lack alternatives for commuting to downtown Toronto. What this means, more bluntly, is that Wynne thinks she might be blamed for it in advance of the 2018 Ontario general election. At the same time, according to the Hamilton Spectator, Wynne will announce Friday “hundreds of millions of dollars” in new money annually (from where?) for municipalities with public transit systems. “We’re trying to help people get ahead and stay ahead — even a toll of $20 more a week is not affordable for Ontario families,” an official is said to have confided.
