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2d ago

Ford Says He Expects Carney to Fast-Track Highway 401 Tunnel as Nation-Building Project

Ottawa’s first fast-track list excluded the 401 tunnel, leaving Ford to press for inclusion in a second tranche expected before mid-November.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to media at the 2025 International Plowing Match in Grassie, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford believes Mark Carney will include the Highway 401 tunnel among the major projects the federal government intends to fast-track.

Overview

  • Ford voiced confidence after Ottawa named five initial Major Projects Office files that did not include the 401 tunnel, despite Ontario listing it among five national-interest priorities.
  • The Prime Minister’s Office offered no assurance on the tunnel and pointed to Carney’s plan to unveil the next set of projects before the Grey Cup.
  • Ontario has issued a request for proposals for a feasibility study, and Ford has pitched a three-level, 19.5‑metre‑wide tunnel that could extend up to roughly 60 kilometres beneath Toronto’s 401 corridor.
  • Experts estimate the concept could cost upward of $60 billion and take decades to complete, and the province has not released an official cost.
  • Critics, including NDP Leader Marit Stiles, call the idea a vanity project, while several First Nations have launched legal challenges to fast-track legislation over inadequate consultation.