Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he thinks Prime Minister Mark Carney will designate his plan to tunnel an expressway below Highway 401 as a nation-building project, though there’s no sign he’s been given any guarantees.
Last week, Ottawa announced five ideas that its new Major Projects Office would usher through the approvals process and fast-track.
Ontario submitted a list of five priorities earlier this year, including the 401 tunnel, but only one was selected by the federal government.
Speaking at the International Plowing Match on Tuesday morning, Ford said he was confident his highway tunnel plan would get the PM’s approval.
“I believe he will; I just believe he will,” Ford told reporters when asked if the tunnel plan would be backed by Ottawa.
He did not say if Carney or the federal government had offered him any assurances.
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Critics have suggested Ford’s tunnel idea fails to hit the heights of a nation-building project.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said including a prospective tunnel under Highway 401 in Ford’s wish list to Carney just muddies the waters on the province’s priorities.
“I think when you start to clutter the list with what I would consider vanity projects like that, then you’re not doing anybody any favours,” she said at the plowing match.
“I think it makes it less clear … what really constitutes a nation-building project.”
On Tuesday, the premier hit back, claiming it should qualify.
“It’s the busiest highway in North America and 50 per cent of the GDP comes through Toronto, and it’s costing us $58 billion in lost productivity,” he added. “I think it’s pretty national.”
Ford’s hopes of seeing a green light for the tunnel plan contrast with his confidence in the development of the mineral-rich Ring of Fire in northern Ontario, which he said was a matter of when, not if.
“It’s all right, I talked to him, it’s going to be on the next tranche,” Ford said, when asked if he was disappointed his plan for a road to the area to kick-start mining also wasn’t picked.
“We’re ready to go and the chief said that they’re ready to go. So we’re ready.”
The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to questions from Global News ahead of publication.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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