Even if it's unpopular, Ford government will 'absolutely' build 401 tunnel: minister

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted exclusively to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park

The Ford government is committed to building a tunnelled expressway under Highway 401, even if the idea is unpopular, the transportation minister said Monday.

Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria was responding to a question about a recent poll showing that nearly two-thirds of Ontarians oppose Premier Doug Ford's plan to build the expressway tunnel.

The poll of 996 Ontario adults on Oct. 15 was done by Pallas Data on behalf of The Trillium. It has a margin of error of  +/- 3.1 per cent, which is higher among subsamples. It found 52 per cent of Ontarians "strongly oppose" the project, and another 10 per cent "somewhat oppose" it, while 10 per cent "strongly support" it and another. 8 per cent "somewhat support" the tunnel idea.

Among Progressive Conservative supporters, 28 per cent "strongly oppose" it and 12 per cent "somewhat oppose it."

While the tunnel idea is more popular among Progressive Conservative supporters than other Ontarians, it risks driving about one-sixth of the party's base away: 16 per cent of poll respondents who said they support the PCs also said they would "certainly vote against any party that will build the tunnel." Another 14 per cent of self-identified PC supporters said they are "somewhat more likely to vote against a party that will build the tunnel."

When asked about the poll, Sarkaria first said the tunnel is a great idea that "will help alleviate one of the busiest stretches on the 401 economic corridor."

Then if his government would build it, even if the idea remains unpopular, he replied that the government "is committed to building."

"But absolutely, this is something that we think is going to be very exciting, very popular, and we think people will love it once it's built," Sarkaria added.

"Premier Ford has a vision for this province that transcends not the next four years, but 10,20,30, 50, years from now — these are the projects that are going to make sure that we continue to remain a productive place to live, work and raise a family,"

The opposition leaders, meanwhile, said they side with the majority of Ontarians.

"I think the people who responded to the poll are quite accurate," said Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, who continued to criticize the potential cost of the project and the government's track infrastructure project-building track record. 

She said the province should take better advantage of the tolled Highway 407 that runs parallel to the 401 and is "so underused, in fact, that a plane has landed on (it)."

Both Crombie and NDP Leader Marit Stiles have referred to the project as a "fantasy tunnel."

"It's a project that's going to take decades, billions of dollars, when people want solutions right now," said Stiles. "So, I think that, just like everything else (Ford) does, you know, he's missing the mark here, right?"

When Ford first announced his plan to build a tunnelled expressway under the 401, he teed it up as an election issue, predicting — correctly, it turned out — that his rivals would oppose the project, and said only his government would "get it done."