Ford implores Trudeau to ‘collaborate’
Premier’s letter seeks aid for transit, highways, housing
Doubling down on his “ongoing partnership” with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, Premier Doug Ford is urging the embattled prime minister to “collaborate” more with Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government.
“Let’s Get it Done,” Ford wrote Trudeau in a six-page letter Thursday, reprising the Tories’ successful 2022 campaign slogan.
“I want to thank you for your ongoing partnership as our governments continue to work together to deliver for the people we serve, including by securing record investments in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing,” the premier wrote, referring to the billions of dollars in joint federal and provincial funding for auto giants like Volkswagen and Stellantis.
“As Canada and Ontario navigate economic uncertainty, we cannot take this progress for granted. We must continue to support workers, businesses and labour partners to realize the full economic benefit of these and other investments,” warned Ford, whose letter comes as Trudeau’s popularity is plunging in public opinion polls.
To that end, the premier listed “additional priorities where federal actions and investments are necessary to leverage the tremendous economic potential of our province.”
Top of mind is lifting any federal roadblocks to the construction of Highway 413, the proposed 60-kilometre freeway linking Highway 401 at Milton to Highway 400 in Vaughan.
“Ontario expects the federal government to ensure its legislation and regulations help build new roads, highways and public transit projects faster, instead of slowing down Ontario’s ability to build these much-needed projects,” wrote Ford, who has been critical of federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s concerns over Highway 413.
“The federal government must provide us the certainty we need by acknowledging that its Impact Assessment Act does not apply to Highway 413. Until we receive this certainty, Ontario will continue its ongoing legal challenge,” he added.
“Traffic and congestion already cost Ontario’s economy $11 billion every year through lost productivity. This is a problem that will only get worse if we do not build.”
Ford also requested Trudeau match the $1-billion commitment from Queen’s Park to build roads to the massive Ring of Fire chromite mining project in Northern Ontario and “to work with us to eliminate duplicative reviews and processes that will only slow down this nationally significant project.”
“This corridor to prosperity will bring economic growth and opportunity to northern and remote First Nations communities and enhance their well-being and livelihoods by improving access to and reducing the cost of critical goods and services,” he continued.
The premier, who will soon call a byelection in Milton, said Ottawa needs to help the province with additional funding for all-day GO Transit service there.
“Preliminary analysis from Metrolinx indicates that the project could cost more than $6 billion overall. We are asking the federal government to commit to at least half of the capital cost of expanding this important transit line, which will serve millions of people in Peel and Halton regions,” he wrote.
As well, Ford is seeking 40 per cent of the capital costs of four major TTC subway initiatives, including the 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line linking Ontario Place to the Ontario Science Centre.
“The costs of these projects have escalated because of the inflationary environment created by the federal government. It is only fair that you help fund these new pressures,” he wrote in the sharpest part of his missive.
Ford — who, as the Star reported Wednesday, is privately and publicly imploring the federal Liberals to cancel a planned increase in the price of carbon on April 1, or risk being electorally “annihilated” — reiterated his cost-of-living concerns.
“I continue to call on the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax, including by eliminating the tax on all home heating fuels, not just fuel oil,” he wrote.
“At the very least, the federal government should use its upcoming budget to pause the looming increase to its carbon tax, which will bring the total cost of the carbon tax to 17.6 cents per litre of gas,” said Ford of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s April 16 budget, which will be delivered two weeks after the planned carbon price hike.
The premier went on to call for further co-operation with the province on clean energy projects and on “wastewater infrastructure” to help municipalities expedite the construction of much-needed new housing.
“I firmly believe that there is an opportunity to continue to collaborate on these important issues,” he concluded.
“In doing so, we can help build a stronger, more prosperous Ontario and Canada to the benefit of workers, families and businesses.”