Chapter 1, Section B: Protect Ontario: Building Ontario

In the face of economic uncertainty, the government is doubling down on its plan to build. With U.S. tariffs causing economic uncertainty in Ontario and across the country, this historic, more than $200 billion plan, the most ambitious capital plan in the province’s history, will get shovels in the ground sooner and help keep workers on the job.

Building Faster

With tariff threats to Ontario’s economy and in response to evolving market challenges, the government is enhancing its practices to build highways, transit and community infrastructure faster. 

For example, Ontario is pursuing opportunities to fast-track preliminary and enabling works to better support the construction of highways and hospitals. This includes:

• Delivering on early works construction contracts to begin building Highway 413. This includes an embankment at the Highway 401 and Highway 407 interchange, the Highway 10 underpass and resurfacing, and the Bovaird Drive underpass.
• Planning to award a contract in fall 2025 for the construction of a detour at 10th Sideroad as part of the Bradford Bypass western section.
• Planning to award detail design contracts by fall 2025 for the remaining sections (Central and East) of the Bradford Bypass.
• Delivering on the first batch of early works to facilitate the construction of Trillium Health Partners’ Broader Redevelopment Project at the Mississauga Hospital and Queensway Health Centre sites. These works include the relocation of high-voltage services, construction of parkades, site preparation including demolition, removal of site services, installation of temporary roads, as well as work to facilitate activities related to permits, licences, approvals and agreements.

With economic uncertainty all around, the government will tap into the available local market and labour capacity to maintain and upgrade roads, highways and schools.

To get shovels in the ground sooner, Ontario also continues to use modular builds and promote design standardization, while working with municipalities to enable faster approvals.

As Ontario delivers on its ambitious capital plan to build, the government will promote and prioritize made-in-Ontario and made-in-Canada products, including making Ontario and Canadian steel, cement, forestry and other construction materials mandatory for provincially funded infrastructure projects.

Accelerating Municipal Infrastructure Programs to Build More Homes

Ontario continues to make historic investments to build the local infrastructure needed to make way for new homes. Given the strong interest from municipalities to the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP) and Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF), the government is investing an additional $400 million in the immediate term to address high demand for these existing programs. These investments are in addition to the nearly $2 billion that Ontario is investing over four years through the various streams and intakes of the MHIP and HEWSF, including:

• Nearly $1.3 billion through HEWSF to maintain and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. To enable the construction of more homes, the government is supporting 77 water infrastructure projects through the first and second intakes to help build approximately 600,000 new homes across the province;
• $400 million through the MHIP − Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Stream across 60 municipalities. The 58 projects approved through this stream will help enable up to 160,000 new homes and ensure these growing communities are connected to reliable roadways; and
• $175 million through the MHIP − Health and Safety Water Stream to ensure communities across the province have access to safe drinking water, reliable wastewater services, and are protected during extreme weather events.

Enabling housing is a key requirement in the evaluation of applications and milestone payments to successful recipients of HEWSF and the MHIP – Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Stream. The investments in MHIP and HEWSF complement existing and ongoing provincial investments in housing- and community-enabling infrastructure, including the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund and the Building Faster Fund.

The Building Faster Fund rewards municipalities that meet at least 80 per cent of their provincially assigned housing target, by providing funding for housing-enabling and community-enabling infrastructure. The government is providing municipalities the tools they need to build more homes faster, and to tackle the affordability crisis. The Building Faster Fund has awarded more than $280 million to municipalities for their performance against their 2023 housing targets. To help make way for more housing opportunities and support growing communities, the government is also extending the time that municipalities have to spend the awards they have earned, to 2028.

In addition, under Infrastructure Ontario’s Loan Program, the Housing-Enabling Water Infrastructure lending stream is providing up to $1 billion in loans to municipalities to support water infrastructure projects that are required to develop new housing units. As of December 2024, municipalities can apply for funding under this lending stream to finance the construction, expansion, repair and rehabilitation of housing-enabling water infrastructure projects.

Accelerating Development Through Modular Housing

Ontario is committing $50 million over five years through Invest Ontario to grow the province’s industrial capacity in modular construction and other innovative options to accelerate development, improve affordability and nurture home‐grown industries that support quality jobs in Ontario.

Modular construction involves building a home using one or more prefabricated components or modules. The home is constructed partially or completely off‐site, then transported to a property for assembly. Invest Ontario will attract and support companies in the sector by investing in the expansion and upgrade of existing production-line machinery and adoption of new technologies that increase productivity and output. High-impact projects will be targeted to speed up growth in the sector and help make homeownership a reality for more Ontario families.

Developing the Newly Flood Protected Port Lands Area

On January 28, 2025, Ontario, along with the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto, announced $975 million to accelerate the delivery of Waterfront Toronto’s revitalization plan. Like earlier phases of waterfront revitalization, each order of government would contribute approximately one-third each, with a provincial contribution of up to $325 million over seven years.

The plan includes the creation of over 14,000 new homes, including affordable rental housing, along Toronto’s waterfront at Quayside and Ookwemin Minising (formerly Villiers Island) along with the development of future waterfront destinations. Once complete, this investment will create an estimated 100,000 skilled trades jobs on Toronto’s waterfront and add $13.2 billion to the economy.

This $975 million investment will make for a vibrant waterfront, for living, working and playing. With the completion of Biidaasige Park in summer 2025, Toronto’s waterfront is on track to welcome over one million people a year.

To prepare for the construction of new homes beginning in 2026, site servicing work will begin in 2025 with the goal of first occupancy in 2031. This is the first and most important step in delivering the critical infrastructure that is needed for housing. This next phase of the waterfront revitalization builds on previous tri-government investments, including the $1.4 billion Port Lands Flood Protection Project. Waterfront Toronto will continue as the revitalization lead for this work, and all governments are working together to extend its legislated mandate.

Building Stronger Communities

Continuing to Build with the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund

The Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund continues to fund critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water, and wastewater projects for eligible small, rural and Northern communities each year. The government will provide $400 million to 423 small, rural and Northern communities across Ontario in 2025.

Connecting Ontario Through Access to High-Speed Internet

Through the investment of nearly $4 billion, the government continues to make progress in providing access to high‐speed internet to every community across the province. As of April 2025, more than 120,000 previously unserved and underserved homes and businesses now have access to high‐speed internet, facilitating access to vital services like health care, enabling learning from home, enhancing productivity for businesses, encouraging greater participation in the agricultural sector, and keeping people connected with loved ones.

Ontario remains committed to bringing access to reliable high-speed internet to every community across the province and will continue to explore all viable options and technologies, including fibre, fixed wireless and satellite, to meet this goal.

Growing Ontario’s EV Charging Infrastructure — ChargeON

Through Ontario’s EV ChargeOn program, the Ontario government is investing an additional $92 million for a total of over $180 million to increase the number of public EV charging stations across the province, improve EV charging infrastructure, reduce range anxiety, fill gaps in underserved areas, and build a more affordable and connected charging network for everyone in Ontario.

The program consists of two streams:

• The Community Sites Stream, which is a competitive, application-based grant program for eligible private, public and non-profit sector entities and Indigenous communities. A total of 270 projects have been approved to date for funding, which will deliver over 1,300 new EV charging ports across the province; and
• The Government Sites Stream, which supports the installation of public EV charging ports on government sites along key provincial corridors and destinations, including highway rest areas, Ontario Parks sites and carpool lots. Chargers are planned to be installed at an initial 15 provincial sites through this stream.

The additional investment will ensure continued deployment of EV chargers in key areas across the province. The government is exploring partnering with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) initiative led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) on the implementation of aspects of the EV ChargeON program, with the objective of continuing to reduce range anxiety by increasing access to charging stations across the province.

Supporting Ontario’s Shortline Railways

Ontario’s shortline railways play an integral role in connecting shippers to national railway lines by providing critical “first and last mile” service to rail customers. During this period of global economic uncertainty, the government is taking steps to protect businesses that rely on a unified rail network for transporting goods and raw materials to customers.

The government is proposing a new temporary tax credit to support Ontario’s shortline railway industry and ensure a safe and reliable rail network across the province. The Ontario Shortline Railway Investment Tax Credit would be a 50 per cent refundable corporate income tax credit available for qualifying shortline railways on eligible track maintenance and rehabilitation expenditures in Ontario.

Eligible expenditures would include investments in labour and capital assets related to railway maintenance and repairs that are made on or after May 15, 2025, and before 2030. The proposed tax credit would provide up to $8,500 per track mile per year to support improvements in railway tracks, signalling equipment, trestles, bridges, culverts and tunnels that are leased or owned by a qualifying shortline railway.

Ontario’s shortline railway industry would be provided an estimated $23 million in income tax support over three years, starting in 2025–26.

Detailed legislation for the proposed tax credit would be introduced as part of the 2025 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review.

See the Annex: Details of Tax Measures and Other Legislative Initiatives for more information.

Increasing Capital for the Building Ontario Fund

The Building Ontario Fund (BOF) is playing a critical role in supporting the province’s growing infrastructure needs and driving long-term economic growth. The BOF was established to partner with trusted Canadian institutional investors to help unlock infrastructure projects in priority areas of energy, affordable housing, long‑term care, municipal and Indigenous community infrastructure, and transportation.

The BOF has developed a robust pipeline of outcome-focused projects in priority areas and recently announced its first investments in partnership with the Arch Corporation and Rekai Centres, which will help build more long-term care homes across the province. These investments mark an important step forward in the government’s commitment to build Ontario.

To address a growing pipeline of potential projects, the government is proposing to provide up to a further $5 billion in funding to the BOF. With increased access to funding, the BOF will be well positioned to invest in priority area projects that contribute to the continued growth and prosperity of Ontario.

Building Highways

The costs of gridlock are real. Time stuck in traffic is one of the least productive parts of people’s day‐to‐day lives. It keeps people away from their families and delays the movement of goods for businesses. The Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis estimates that the economic impact of gridlock in Ontario was $56.4 billion in 2024.¹ If traffic levels remain unchanged, the annual cost to Ontario’s economy could reach $108 billion by 2044.²

Building Highway 413

By 2051, the population in the Greater Golden Horseshoe is expected to reach nearly 15 million, growing by approximately one million new residents every five years. There is a pressing need for critical infrastructure investment to prepare for this growth and to help alleviate gridlock on Highway 401 in what is already one of the busiest corridors in North America. 

Ontario continues to move ahead with building Highway 413, a new 52‐kilometre, 400‐series highway to better connect the transportation network across Halton, Peel and York Regions. The corridor will extend from Highway 400 in the east to the Highway 401/407 express toll route (ETR) interchange area in the west and will include a four-to-six-lane, 400-series highway, and separate infrastructure dedicated for transit and passenger stations.

The government has reached a major milestone for Highway 413 by completing 90 per cent of the preliminary design work. Reaching this milestone has allowed the government to identify 113 full and 57 partial properties not required for building the highway and the need to acquire over 500 properties for construction. Furthermore, the government is advancing an early works construction project to get shovels in the ground for this project, including an embankment at the Highway 401 and Highway 407 interchange, the Highway 10 underpass and resurfacing, and the Bovaird Drive underpass.

During construction, Highway 413 is expected to contribute $350 million to the province’s real GDP and support up to 3,500 jobs each year. Once completed, Highway 413 will save drivers up to 30 minutes each way on their commute during rush hour and keep goods and the economy moving.

Advancing Work on the Bradford Bypass

Ontario is helping prepare York Region and Simcoe County for rapid population growth in the next 10 years by building the Bradford Bypass, a new four‐lane highway to relieve gridlock on existing east‐west local roads and connect Highways 400 and 404. The new 16‐kilometre highway will relieve gridlock, save commuters time, and keep goods moving across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Ontario government is advancing work on the Bradford Bypass through the award of a contract for tree clearing, which began in December 2024. The contract allows crew to clear a path along the planned route for the highway’s west section, marking another milestone in the government’s plan to tackle gridlock. Furthermore, the government is aiming to award a contract for a detour at 10th Sideroad for the western section, and award the detail design contracts for the remaining sections for the Bradford Bypass by fall 2025.

This builds on the progress made over the last year to advance work on the Bradford Bypass. In May 2024, the government awarded a contract for detail design of the west section of the Bradford Bypass, which will run 6.5 kilometres from Highway 400 to Simcoe County Road 4.

In summer 2024, construction began on Highway 400 and the Simcoe County Road 88 bridge and interchange, which includes constructing a new southbound lane on Highway 400 that will connect to the future Bradford Bypass.

Once complete, the Bradford Bypass will save drivers an estimated 35 minutes in travel time during rush hour compared to existing routes using local roads. During construction, the project is expected to support up to 2,200 jobs per year and contribute up to $286 million to the province’s GDP.

Building the Highway 401 Tunnel Expressway

In addition to the work already being done to upgrade and expand the province’s 400‐series highways, the government is exploring innovative options to tackle gridlock. Ontario released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to explore the feasibility of building a new driver and transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401 from west of Mississauga to east of Scarborough. To address the most congested area of Highway 401, the study will assess the potential for building a tunnel expressway underneath Highway 401. The study will also identify and evaluate complementary traffic mitigation options to relieve traffic gridlock and improve the effectiveness of infrastructure.

Twinning the Queen Elizabeth Way Garden City Skyway

The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) Garden City Skyway Bridge Twinning Project includes construction of a new bridge on the QEW over the Welland Canal, connecting the City of St. Catharines to the Town of Niagara‐on‐the‐Lake. In April 2024, the government issued an RFP to advance the project and invited five pre‐qualified teams to bid on the project. This section of the highway supports tourism in Niagara Region, improves access to the Niagara District Airport and supports the province’s supply chain by linking the international border crossings at Niagara Falls and Fort Erie with the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The new and expanded Garden City Skyway will reduce gridlock and time spent travelling for people in the growing Niagara Region, and allow for the repair and upgrade of the existing aging bridge.

Improving Highway 401

The Highway 401 corridor is a crucial economic link within Ontario and between Ontario, Eastern Canada and the United States, handling about 11,000 trucks daily with goods valued up to $434 million in Eastern Ontario alone.

The government is continuing to improve the Highway 401 corridor to support the movement of people and goods in the Kingston area. Work is underway to resurface sections of the eastbound and westbound lanes on Highway 401 from Westbrook Road to Highway 15, along with all four ramps at the Sir John A. MacDonald interchange. In addition to the lane renewals, concrete repairs will be carried out on two bridges between Sydenham Road and Highway 15. These upgrades will improve safety and traffic flow, create jobs and help promote economic growth across Ontario.

Furthermore, work is being undertaken to resurface nearly 17 kilometres of Highway 401 between Mallorytown and Brockville, including culvert repairs and replacements, new lighting, and rehabilitation of the Mallorytown Road underpass. In addition, to help local communities avoid rising maintenance costs, Ontario is taking over the upkeep and rehabilitation of the Thousand Islands Parkway, ensuring the 40-kilometre route remains well-maintained.

Supporting the Construction of the Banwell Road and E.C. Row Expressway Interchange in Windsor

Ontario is supporting the construction of a new interchange at Banwell Road and E.C. Row Expressway in the City of Windsor to keep people and goods moving. This interchange will support the needs of this growing community and the development of the NextStar Energy EV battery plant, a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and Stellantis N.V., as well as associated supply chain facilities, and the new regional acute care hospital.

Advancing a New Interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road in Ottawa

The government is working with the City of Ottawa to plan and design a new interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road to support population growth and development planned by the City for the Barrhaven South area, including housing, commercial areas and employment lands. This interchange will improve safety and help keep people and the economy moving.

Investing in Highways in Southwestern Ontario

The government is continuing to improve road safety and keeping people and goods moving in Southwestern Ontario by starting construction to widen Highway 3 between Essex and Leamington. The government has also procured a design consultant to complete the Environmental Assessment and Preliminary Design for a new interchange connecting Highway 401 to the future Lauzon Parkway extension. Advancing these critical transportation projects will support economic growth.

Building Highways for Northern Ontario

The government is investing in highways in the North to improve road safety, connect communities, and unlock economic opportunities. Projects include:

• Replacing the Little Current Swing Bridge on Highway 6 in the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands. The planning, preliminary design and Environmental Assessment have been completed, and the project is proceeding with the next steps — property acquisition, right‐of‐way designation and detail design.
• Working to enhance safety on highways in Northeastern Ontario. This includes innovative designs such as a 2+1 highway, which is a three‐lane highway with a centre passing lane that changes direction approximately every two to five kilometres, and expanding rest areas. 
• Widening Highway 69 from two to four lanes between Parry Sound and Sudbury. In total, 84 kilometres of Highway 69 have been expanded to four lanes in this area, and work is underway to complete the remaining 68 kilometres, which are in the design, environmental approvals, and property acquisition phases.
• Expanding Highway 11/17 from two to four lanes between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, including from east of Highway 587 for 14.4 kilometres and from west of Highway 582 to Coughlin Road for 8.3 kilometres. These two projects are part of a larger series of projects to widen over 100 kilometres of the highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.
• Widening Highway 17 from Kenora to the Manitoba border. Section 1, which includes a 6.5‑kilometre segment between the Manitoba border and west of Highway 673, was completed in 2024. The broader project will widen Highway 17 from two to four lanes for approximately 40 kilometres.
• Supporting renewed partnerships with Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek, Aroland First Nation, Ginoogaming First Nation and Long Lake #58 First Nation to build and improve highway infrastructure that will help connect more First Nation communities to the province’s highway network. This work includes maintenance and upgrades to Highway 584 and Highway 11, with work continuing this construction season.

Table 1.1
Recently Completed Highway Projects

Source: Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Improving Municipal Roads

Ontario is making new investments to support repairs for municipal roads and bridges that will connect people to jobs, support the movement of goods and stimulate economic growth.

Expanding the Connecting Links Program

The Connecting Links Program provides dedicated funding for rehabilitation and improvements of bridges and roads on municipal roads that connect two ends of a provincial highway or connect to international or provincial borders. With the growing demand on the program and the increasing costs of infrastructure projects, the government is increasing annual funding from $30 million to $45 million to support municipalities to maintain these critical roads. This expansion is expected to help municipalities address critical road or bridge improvement needs to extend the life cycle of their assets and continue with local developments.

Investing to Support Rehabilitation of Critical Roads and Bridges

This targeted funding is intended to support the rehabilitation of critical municipal roads and bridges that are in need of repair, with the end result of serving safety and economic development needs.

Reconfiguring Roads and Bike Lanes

The Reducing Gridlock and Saving You Time Act requires prescribed municipalities to receive approval from the province before installing new bike lanes that would result in the removal of lanes for traffic. Municipalities are required to demonstrate that the proposed bike lanes will not have a significant impact on vehicle traffic.

Ontario is reconfiguring some of Toronto’s most congested streets. The government is working to reinstate vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Avenue Road and Queen’s Park Crescent, while maintaining bike lanes where possible or moving them to secondary roads.

Developing Potholes Prevention Fund Program

The government is consulting with municipalities to develop a potholes prevention and repair program to help make Ontario roads safer and prevent accidents and damages that can occur from potholes. The program would support smaller municipalities with road maintenance and help improve road conditions while promoting good asset management practices and high‑quality roadwork across the province.

Building Transit

Alongside new roads and highways, public transit projects are also vital to support the province’s economy and connect more people to jobs and housing. Transit investment has not kept up with growth, which is why the government is leading the largest expansion of public transit in North America. But there is more work to be done as Ontario’s cities and towns continue to grow at historic rates.

Expanding GO Transit Services

To better connect growing communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), the government is continuing to expand and build better GO train and GO bus services to make it easier and faster for people to get where they need to go.

The government continues to deliver the GO Rail Expansion program to achieve all-day, two-way service every 15 minutes or better over the core segments of the GO Transit network. Work to expand GO Transit services is visible throughout the region where Metrolinx continues to roll out incremental service increases, build new GO infrastructure including new stations, and improve passenger and train capacity at Union Station.

• Niagara GO Extension: Ontario continues to work to bring faster, more frequent, two-way, all‑day train service between Niagara Region, Hamilton and the GTA. As part of this work, in April 2025, Metrolinx completed construction at West Harbour GO Station, including new track connecting the station to the main line. These upgrades will provide customers with four more train trips to choose from on weekdays and six new trips on weekends, saving more than 250,000 commuters in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines roughly 15 minutes per round trip.
  • These station and track improvements were completed ahead of schedule, allowing more GO service to the Hamilton-Niagara Region sooner than anticipated. In addition, the future Confederation GO Station, which is currently under construction, will further improve regional transit connections for passengers.
• Bowmanville GO Extension: The Bowmanville GO Extension will extend the Lakeshore East GO rail service nearly 20 kilometres east of the Durham College Oshawa GO Station to Bowmanville. This expanded rail service will provide Durham Region with direct connections to the larger GO Transit network, helping to reduce gridlock in the GGH. Targeted early works construction is underway in 2025 to continue advancing the project.

Advancing GO 2.0

Ontario is taking the next steps to advance planning and feasibility studies for GO 2.0 — a proposal to deliver the next generation of passenger rail service for the GGH. Building on the extensive transit network vision in Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, these next steps will help Ontario identify potential new rail corridors and study where new GO stations are needed to respond to network demand.

GO 2.0 will build on existing investments to the GO Transit network by delivering all-day, two-way service to Kitchener and Milton, building new GO stations across the region and advancing planning to unlock potential new rail corridors through midtown Toronto, Etobicoke, York Region and Bolton.

Investing in GO Transit Rail Coaches

The government is investing nearly $500 million to refurbish 181 GO Transit bi-level rail coaches at the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay and approximately $350 million to refurbish 121 GO Transit bi-level rail coaches at Ontario Northland’s facility in North Bay. The refurbished rail coaches will be equipped with new interior finishings, such as seating, flooring, walls and ceilings, as well as new doors and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control systems. This investment is part of the ongoing service expansion across the GO rail network and will support hundreds of manufacturing jobs and economic prosperity in Northern Ontario.

Refurbishing the coaches will extend their service life by 20 years and support Ontario’s ambitious GO Expansion program, which aims to deliver two-way, all-day service across core segments of the GO network.

The government will be exploring options to enhance the customer experience for travellers and commuters. This could include installing charging plug ports, cup holders and improved Wi-Fi on Metrolinx GO trains as well as the Northlander to ensure that passengers can stay connected, comfortable, and productive while travelling.

Building Subways

Work is underway on Ontario’s priority subway projects. The government is closer to providing better travel options, alleviating gridlock on roads and creating thousands of good, local jobs.

• Ontario Line: Construction is underway along the full length of the Ontario Line. The Ontario government has officially started excavating the launch shaft for the Ontario Line subway tunnels at Exhibition Station, marking another milestone in the government’s plan to slash commute times across the GTA and bring nearly 230,000 people within walking distance of public transit. Excavation work has also commenced at stations in the southern alignment, including at King-Bathurst, Corktown, Moss Park and Queen-Spadina. The Pape Tunnel and Underground Stations and Elevated Guideway and Stations packages are also progressing through the design phase.
• Eglinton Crosstown West Extension: Tunnelling on the project has continued to advance, with tunnelling for the east tunnel between Jane and Mount Dennis stations getting underway in February 2025. Construction on the elevated guideway also began in March 2025, while procurement continues to advance for the Stations, Rail and Systems (SRS) package of works.
• Yonge North Subway Extension: In March 2025, the RFPs for the Advance Tunnel Contract closed and contract award for these works is expected later in 2025. Early upgrades at Finch Station, which include improvements made to the electrical system that powers the rails, are now complete and procurement planning for the other components of the Yonge North Subway Extension continues to advance. 
• Proposed Sheppard Subway Extension: The Ontario government continues to advance planning for the Sheppard Subway Extension, which has the potential to significantly enhance east/west transit connectivity in Toronto’s north end — making it easier and faster for people to get around the GTA. Metrolinx has completed two rounds of public consultations on the project and is finalizing a business case.

Delivering Faster and More Convenient Transit Through the New East Harbour Transit Hub

Ontario has awarded the construction contract for the East Harbour Transit Hub in Toronto, which will improve access to transit for thousands of residents and support more than 50,000 jobs in the area. This all-new transit hub is part of the government’s plan to deliver faster and more convenient transit for people across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and will connect transit users to both GO Transit and the Ontario Line. The East Harbour Transit Hub, located immediately east of the Don Valley Parkway and south of Eastern Avenue, will serve the Riverdale, Riverside and Leslieville communities.

Once complete, the hub is expected to serve approximately 100,000 daily riders. The hub is part of the government’s plan to make public transit in the GTHA more convenient, helping divert as many as 14,000 people from Union Station during rush hour peaks.

Investing in New Subway Cars

Ontario is investing $758 million to help the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) purchase 55 new trains for Toronto’s Line 2 subway. This investment is a result of the New Deal for Toronto, which was reached in 2023. This investment made by Ontario, the City of Toronto and the Government of Canada will support the City of Toronto to deliver this critical public transit service.

As the government advances this important initiative to reach the shared goal of improving the TTC’s transit capacity and investing in new, world-class transit infrastructure, Ontario has requested that the City of Toronto recognize this historic opportunity and consider procuring from Alstom, which would support Ontario workers in Thunder Bay and across the province.

The New Deal for Toronto also includes provincial operating support for public transit, including $330 million over three years in operating funding for the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Finch West LRT, and $300 million in one-time funding for TTC safety and maintaining service delivery.

Building and Expanding Light Rail Transit

The government is bringing fast, reliable transit projects to the people of Ontario to help reduce travel times and create more transit options:

• Hamilton LRT: Progress continues on the Hamilton LRT alignment where early works, including public utility relocations, are underway. The Ontario government has taken another step forward by advancing the procurement process for the Hamilton LRT Civil Works and Utilities package.
• Hazel McCallion Line: Construction work continues along the Hazel McCallion Line, with guideway and track construction continuing to advance, including track installation and stop platforms. The platform at Port Credit Station is nearing completion and all girders have been installed on the elevated guideway spanning Highway 403. The government is moving forward with work to extend the Hazel McCallion Line into downtown Brampton and Mississauga and plans to study options to tunnel the Brampton portion of the segment. The underground extension in downtown Brampton would connect the Hazel McCallion Line to the heart of one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, providing more people with fast, affordable and reliable transit.
• Ottawa LRT: The government will be exploring options for uploading the Ottawa LRT, subject to due diligence, to help reduce costs for Ottawa taxpayers.
• Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRTs: Major construction for both projects is now complete. Metrolinx continues to focus on safety and operational readiness testing, as the projects advance toward revenue service.

Bringing Back the Northlander

Ontario has awarded contracts to deliver train stops along the future Northlander corridor, marking another milestone in the government’s plan to bring back safe and reliable passenger rail service between Timmins and Toronto. This includes improvements to stops at North Bay, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Englehart, Kirkland Lake, Matheson and Cochrane along with the construction of a new Timmins-Porcupine Station.

In addition, Ontario has unveiled the new exterior design of the Northlander, giving communities a first look at the state-of-the-art trains that will soon pave the way for an integrated transportation network that connects communities from the North to the South. The new, fully accessible trains will feature built-in wheelchair lifts, mobility aid storage spaces, galley‑style food services, Wi-Fi and fully accessible washrooms.

Footnotes

[1] Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA), “Impact of Congestion in the GTHA and Ontario: Economic and Social Risks,” Research Report (December 2024), https://rccao.com/news/files/Impact-of-Congestion-in-the-GTHA-and-Ontario-December2024.pdf

[2] Ibid.

Chart Descriptions

Chart 1.4: Highway 413 Project Route

The image shows a map of the Highway 413 Project Route of the planning study area and the Preferred Route.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Return to Chart 1.4

Chart 1.5: Bradford Bypass Project Route

The image shows a map of the Bradford Bypass Project Route. The bypass will run between Highway 400 and Highway 404, passing through the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the Township of King.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Return to Chart 1.5

Chart 1.6: Building Transit in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

This image shows a map of subway lines in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including current lines, expansion projects that are underway, and proposed future expansions.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Return to Chart 1.6