November 20, 2025
The Empire Club of Canada Presents
Protecting Ontario with Historic Investments in Transportation Infrastructure
Chairperson: Marsha Seca, 2nd Vice-Chair, Empire Club of Canada; President, Broad View Advisory
Moderator
Allison Jones, Journalist, The Canadian Press
Distinguished Guest Speaker
The Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation
Head Table Guests
Jean-Louis Servranckx, President & CEO, AECON Group Inc
Walid About-Hamde, CEO, Ontario Road Builders Association
Welcome Address by Marsha Seca, 2nd Vice-Chair, Empire Club of Canada; President, Broad View Advisory
Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Marsha Seca, second vice chair of the board at the Empire Club of Canada, and I’m very pleased to be your host for today’s event.
To formally begin, I want to acknowledge that we are gathering on the Traditional and Treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the homelands of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples. I encourage you all to learn more about the Traditional Territory on which you work and live.
Today’s event would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. The Empire Club is a non-profit organization, and sponsors generously support the club, and make these events possible and complimentary for our online viewers to attend. So, please join me in thanking our Lead Sponsors, Bruce Power, LiUNA, and the Ontario Road Builders Association. Thank you. Thank you to our VIP Reception Sponsors, Waste Connections of Canada, AECON, Alstom, Alto, Bird Construction, CAA Club Group, Insurance Bureau of Canada, and Ports Toronto and Nieuport Aviation. Yes, exactly. And to our Supporting Sponsors, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Ontario, Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario, and Think Research. We also deeply appreciate the ongoing support of our Lead Season Sponsors, Bruce Power, Hydro One, and National Bank Financial Markets. And our VIP Reception Season Sponsors, Ellis Don, McKinsey & Company, the Ontario Road Builders Association, and Waste Connections of Canada. And finally, thank you to our Media Partner, the Toronto Star, and to our AV Partner, Bespoke Audio Visual.
If you have a question for our speakers, please scan the QR code found on your program, or through the Q&A function if you are online. For those of you online, if you require technical assistance, use the chat feature.
Today’s event brings us back to a theme that sits at the centre of Ontario’s economic strategy, transportation. As Canada continues to navigate global uncertainty, Ontarians expect their governments to invest in the infrastructure that keeps our province moving, connecting workers to jobs, goods to markets, and communities to opportunity, essentially, building one Canada.
This fall, we heard Premier Doug Ford outline his government’s plan to protect Ontario through record investments in infrastructure and industry. Today, Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria joins us to take that conversation further, focusing on how historic investments in transits, highways, and transportation networks are helping to safeguard Ontario’s economy while building for the future.
If there’s anything we all like to complain about as much as the weather, it is traffic. Previous speakers who have shared this stage have warned that underinvestment in transportation comes at a steep cost, economically, environmentally, and in our daily lives. Minister Sarkaria himself last joined us in May to present “Better, Faster, Safer: Ontario’s Transportation Future,” a vision of nearly $100 billion over the next decade to modernize how people and goods move across this province. That plan anticipates the region’s populations to grow by almost 50% in 25 years, so we know how important these investments are.
Before we get started, we’re pleased to hear from someone representing our Lead Event Sponsor, Bruce Power. Bruce Power has played an essential role in powering Ontario’s growth, providing clean, reliable energy that supports the very infrastructure projects we will be discussing today. From electrified transit to sustainable industry, Bruce Power’s leadership helps ensure Ontario’s transportation future is as efficient as it is resilient.
Representing Bruce Power this afternoon is Jean-Louis Servranckx, President and Chief Executive Officer of AECON Group, Inc., a partner in Bruce Power’s Life Extension Program, and major parts replacement project. Mr. Servranckx brings more than three decades of international experience in infrastructure and industrial development, leading some of the world’s most complex construction projects. Under his leadership, AECON also continues to play a vital role in building the highways, bridges, and transit systems that keep Ontario moving and thriving. Please join me in welcoming Jean-Louis Servranckx, to deliver opening remarks, and to introduce today’s keynote speaker, the Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, our very own Minister of Transportation.
Opening Remarks by Jean-Louis Servranckx, President & CEO, AECON Group Inc.
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for the introduction, Marsha. Thank you to the Empire Club for hosting. It’s an honour to be here today to provide opening remarks for Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, on behalf of one of AECON’s most valued clients and Lead Event Sponsor, Bruce Power.
As a diversified infrastructure company with deep Canadian roots and over 10,000 employees globally, AECON has a long history in partnering with the government of Ontario and Ministry of Transportation on some of the most transformative transportation projects in the province. From successfully and recently completed projects, such as the extension of the Highway 401 between Mississauga and Milton, or the completion and exceptional schedule and cost performance of the Eglinton West Advanced Tunnel, up to critical, and I should add, challenging transit projects that are moving closer to opening to the public every day, including the Finch West LRT, and Eglinton Crosstown LRT. I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the positive progress recently made to continue advancing those projects toward the finish line, underscored by the highly successful revenue service demonstration testing period on the Finch West LRT, and the subsequent substantial completion of this project.
Our work includes some of the most dynamic projects that will connect communities for generations to come, including the GO expansion civil work, the Scarborough subway extension, the first project to reach commercial clause under the progressive design build new model, the Yonge North subway extension, and the Eglinton Crosstown elevated guideway project. Ontario currently has one of the highest concentration of concurrent transit project compared to anywhere in the world. And through this project, AECON employs one of the strongest and most multidisciplinary teams in Canada, and North America. But with our government highly focused on building every day more, but also more efficiently, quicker, better, we would not be here today. I’m here today to personally thank the Ontario government and Minister Sarkaria for their leadership in advancing all those projects at the same time as a provincial and national priority, therefore helping to create, with AECON, a Canadian and international champion of transportation projects, as well as Bruce Power, in doing the same with nuclear projects. Together, we are stronger.
Today, we are obviously at a pivotal point in driving future prosperity for Ontario and Canada. I think I speak for everyone when I say I look forward to hearing from you, Minister Saccaria, about the province historic investments, and plans to ensure our transportation infrastructure is future ready. On behalf of the AECON team in attendance, thank you to Bruce Power, Minister Sarkaria, and the Empire Club, for the opportunity to kick things off for this much anticipated event. Before welcoming the minister, there will be a short video played. Please turn your attention to the screen. Thank you.
[Video is shown]
The Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you very much for the kind introduction, and for all of you for being here, Jean-Louis. Thank you for your leadership, for your partnership with the government, and everything that you are doing to help us deliver some of the transformational projects that you just saw on that video, as well. I also want to take an opportunity to thank all of our sponsors that are here today. We’ve got former MPP Jane McKenna, who’s also joined us today, as well, so thank you to her. And I also want to recognize the CEO of Metrolinx, who has joined us here today. Michael, someone who has been a truly transformational leader just under a year, but he has done some incredible, incredible things at Metrolinx as a new CEO, and moved a lot of our projects along. So, please join me, in giving me a big thank you and a round of applause for his service.
Well, you know, I took the Gardiner to get here today—18 months ahead of schedule. I’m actually joking. I actually rode my bike here—just don’t tell Mayor Olivia Chow. But in all seriousness, where else in North America do you see construction schedules cut in half? Only in Ontario. And that’s why I want today to really truly be in a conversation about our government’s plan in the face of economic uncertainty to build a more competitive and resilient economy. To get roads, highways, transit built for the people that need them most. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re investing $100 billion to build transportation infrastructure, to transform how you move around this province, including $70 billion in rapid transit right here in Ontario, to build a stronger future for generations to come, and to protect Ontario. It’s a plan across the entire province to get people and goods moving, while creating and maintaining good-paying jobs. It strengthens our position on the world stage, supported by global gateways like Toronto Pearson, that connect our province to markets, visitors, and opportunities around the globe.
Now, I’ve had the opportunity to give a couple of speeches like this over the course of my career, and I’ve had the opportunity to sit in the audience and listen to a bunch more as well. And in my experience, there are two ways things can go. There are those who spend their time talking about the problems, and then there are those who spend their time finding solutions. And since day one, our government, we’ve been focused on solutions. Whether it’s finishing the Gardiner, other road, highway, or transit projects, it starts with our growing population, and recognizing that. You know, when I was first elected as an MPP in Brampton, the population of our city that I represented was just over 630,000 people. Today, Brampton is home to almost 800,000. That’s a 20% increase in population in just the last seven years. And that’s a story almost everywhere across the GTA.
So, now how can we ensure that families can get to work, school, or home, or back to their loved ones? You have to take action. You don’t put in place policies that make getting around more difficult or expensive, whether that’s a Carbon Tax, a road toll, jamming bike lanes onto major arterial roads. Other governments champion those ideas. And all of it is based on the same political calculus. A government that looks at the drivers of Ontario, and says to them that the problem is you. Instead of forcing you to drive less, Premier Ford challenged us to build more, and to give the people of this province more options to travel.
And here is what that looks like. You got a glimpse of it in the video. But why don’t we start with one of the projects that we’re really proud about, and something that will be coming online very soon. That’s the Finch West LRT. It’s a perfect example. This line will bring 230,000 people within walking distance of fast and reliable transit. It will cut commute times for hundreds of thousands of riders each week, and connect to transit services across the region. What would have taken you 90 minutes in a car will take you 30 minutes. You can jump on at Humber College and get to Union Station using rapid transit quickly. That wasn’t possible before. We said we would build it and we did. And this line will be open in a matter of weeks. And it’s just the beginning.
And in the face of political opposition and delays, we got shovels in the ground in record time on the Ontario Line. Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we got agreements with all three levels of government. And this line will carry at least two thirds as many people as Line One, and will provide the needed relief. And by the way, the last time we had a brand new subway built in downtown Toronto was back in 2002. Thanks to Premier Ford, we’re building the Ontario Line.
We’re also improving GO service. Last year, we added over 300 GO Train trips across the network. And we just announced that for the first time ever, weekend service from Toronto all the way to Kitchener. And riders are truly responding. And GO users are noticing. Just in October this year, we broke a record. We reached 7.1 million trips on GO, and 7.5 million trips on GO and UP Express combined. The highest month. The highest month for ridership ever recorded. Thank you, Michael. And by adding more GO service on weekends, just on weekends, ridership has reached 157%, compared to pre-pandemic levels. And commuters tell us, they tell me, the GO experience is better for them. You’ve got Wi-Fi, better parking, you can charge your phone on the train. Better services for you. And that’s why more tourists are heading to Niagara. More Blue Jays fans are using the system to get to a game—and Leafs fans going home sad, like me. And overall, but overall, more families visiting each other.
You know, people told us that we didn’t need to keep up the investment. That after the pandemic, everyone would just work from home in perpetuity. Well, they were wrong then, and they are still wrong now. We’re proud to deliver on over 100 kilometers of rapid transit, something no other city in North America is doing. And we will always be proud to be a pro-transit government. When transit is frequent, when it is reliable and affordable, that equals more cars off the road. Not because drivers are forced, but because they want to. And I’ll take that over carbon taxes, road tolls, bike lanes, any day of the week.
But it’s not about transit versus highways, or the 416 versus the 905. This is a plan that works for everybody. And that’s why we want to talk about our highways. Highway 413. Today, I’m pleased to report that we’ve got early parts of the construction on the 413 already underway. And when complete, this highway will run from the 400 in the east to the 401, 407 interchange in the west. And it will save drivers up to 30 minutes each way at rush hour. This project will add more than a billion dollars to Ontario’s GDP, and it will create more than 6,000 good-paying jobs during construction each year. And for those of you interested in building this project, helping us build it, we should have some great news to you before the end of Christmas. And in a time of heightened economic uncertainty from the Trump administration’s tariffs, there has never been a better time to get the people of Ontario busy building up our province’s resilience.
For those of you that are from Aurora, Newmarket, or Barrie, or cottage-goers from the east side of the city, this is why we’re building the Bradford Bypass, a 400-series highway that will run from the 404 in the east to Highway 400 in the west. It will cut travel times by as much as 35 minutes per trip. It will add $190 million a year to Ontario’s GDP, and support 1,300 construction jobs annually. And I’m pleased to say, and I’m pleased to say, early works construction is well underway.
And yes, that is why we are taking the same approach with Highway 401. We’re the same people who said that we couldn’t get a shovel in the ground on the Ontario Line, the Scarborough subway extension, the Yonge North subway extension, are now the ones telling us, when it comes to the busiest highway in North America, we shouldn’t even try to build something better. You know, I hear the snickers sometimes, I hear it, but this is a serious proposal to fix this. Because if we don’t do something, we are in deep trouble. We can’t afford the old politics of failure. There’s over 10,000 trucks moving $380 million of goods that use the 401 corridor every single day. If we do nothing, 25 years from now, travel times on this main line and stretch will double, and the hours we lose to gridlock will more than triple.
In Europe, they’ve tunneled through mountains, they’ve tunneled through the sea, so you bet, we’re going to build the 401 tunnel for both cars and transit, one that will stretch from Mississauga to Scarborough. And that’s why we just launched a feasibility study for that tunnel. We’ll build it safely, properly, to erase gridlock, and boost productivity across Southern Ontario. All of this will transform the way you travel in this province, because it’s ultimately about the experience you have on your roads, your highways, and your transit, to get back home to your family.
Previous governments wasted time, money, energy telling the people of Ontario that they are the problem, because they would rather force us to change our behaviours than considering changing theirs. The approach is wrong wherever, whenever it has been tried. Instead, I’m proud to stand here on behalf of Premier Ford to say that you are right to expect more from us. We are going to keep building, and building, and building. We are going to get Ontario moving, get people working, and get things done. And that is how, that is how today, and that is how today and every day we will do our part to protect Ontario.
So, thank you to each and every single one of you for being here, to the Empire Club. Marsha, thank you so much for the introduction, as well, and to all of our sponsors, and most importantly, all of you.
Marsha Seca
Thank you very much. Thank you, Minister Sarkaria, for those remarks, and for sharing your vision for the future of transportation in Ontario. The scale of investment, ambition, and coordination involved in this work—I’m a little shorter than him—truly speaks to what it takes to keep Ontario moving and competitive. You and your government colleagues know that protecting Ontario means investing in long-term infrastructure that supports long-term economic security, creating jobs today, minimizing the effects of the current trade climate, all while securing Ontario’s future.
To help us explore those ideas, and what they mean for communities, policy, and the province’s future, we’re joined by someone who knows Ontario politics and public policy inside and out. Allison Jones is a Queen’s Park correspondent for the Canadian Press, where she has reported on politics and policy since 2014, covering everything from transportation to energy and housing, as well as healthcare and childcare. Over nearly two decades with CP, Allison has become one of Ontario’s most trusted political reporters, known for her sharp insights and deep understanding of how government decisions shape life across the province. She also served as president of the Queen’s Park Press Gallery, helping to uphold the standards of transparency and accountability that define public service in Ontario. Please join me in welcoming Allison Jones to the stage, to moderate our fireside chat.
Allison Jones, Journalist, The Canadian Press
Well, thank you for that, Marsha. That was a lot better than the bio I wrote for myself. That was very flattering. Thank you. And Minister, thank you very much for answering some questions today. There’ll be a little bit different than the questions we ask you in scrums at Queen’s Park, but not that different, because I’m going to start with the Eglinton Crosstown, and….
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
I knew you were going to go with that right away.
Allison Jones
…the million dollar question, when is it going to open?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
I might have to call a friend here. Michael, where are you? We’re going to have to….
Allison Jones
You’re going to have to hold Michael back from coming up to answer.
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
You know, I knew I was going to get this question. And you know what? We’re so close. We are so close to this. And I know Michael and his team, Jean-Louis’s here, as well. Like, we are working day and night on this project, to get it ready for passengers. I just actually had the opportunity to be on it, to see firsthand the progress that has been made. And as we get through the testing and commissioning of it, you know, we’re working, we’re truly working as hard as we possibly can to get through that. We’ve had some great success in our testing, working with the TTC and others. And so, we look forward to continuing to build upon that momentum, and pass it over to their team when we finish our testing period, to see when we can get passengers on board.
But you know, what I really think is important from this is as we look at the Crosstown, you know, we look at projects like Finch, for example. Here’s a project that we started recently. We just passed a substantial completion on it. So, I think the one message and one learning from Crosstown that has informed many of our other projects across the province has been, you know, we’ve learned from some of those mistakes that have been made. Whether it’s contracting methods, whether it’s how we procure, how we work with industry, we’ve learned, we’ve listened, and we’re adapting to that. I think there is value to appreciating that we are now shovels in the ground on the Ontario Line, and every segment of it, every portion of it, we have the Yonge-North subway extension that we just announced the tunneling and contract on, the Eglinton West extension is going well. So, we’re applying what we’ve learned.
I think for a very, very long time, we didn’t build complicated projects, or transit projects in this province. And that’s what we really, really wanted to focus in on is to build, learn from those challenges. And Michael and his team have done an incredible job of that, as they move forward on this. So, we’re at the testing and commissioning phase of it. There’s no construction that needs to be done on this. We’re very, very close, and ready for passengers.
Allison Jones
So, is this year still a possibility, or has that ship sailed?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
Well, we’re gonna work with the team at the TTC, once we finish, you know, they’ve been training on the TTC for almost a year now, as well. So, our part, and Michael and his team have been focused on ensuring that we get this testing and commissioning period finished, and we’re almost there. And once we are ready to have those passengers, and the TTC is ready to also have those passengers online, we’ll be ready to go. But we’re putting every resource, every effort into it, and making sure that we do everything on our part to deliver this.
Allison Jones
And so, speaking of lessons learned, you opened your speech by talking about the Gardiner construction. And I know that part of that was 24/7 construction. Is that a model that you’re looking to apply to other projects in the future?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
I think it was a great way for us to look at, if we just look at the Gardiner in isolation, as soon as the construction started, you heard from almost every single person. I drive the Gardiner every single day. And so, I saw it firsthand, probably 20 minutes on top of our commute. So, you look at it, and almost everything we do, whether it’s building transit or any of our investments, it’s all about productivity. We have to make it more productive for people to travel on our roads. How do we get those people out of gridlock, home quicker, to work faster and quicker? And so, that was the base of the conversation. How could we move this very critical piece of infrastructure quicker and faster?
And when we look at challenges across, you know, the disruption that is caused by transit projects or other highway infrastructure projects, I think this is a very important tool for us to look at how it was so successful on the Gardiner, and try to apply it to almost every project that we possibly can. You know, we had a great opportunity to deploy more resources, more funding, tie it to incentives, and here we are, 18 months ahead of schedule. So, I really like the way it worked, and I think there is a lot of application to it. Michael’s team at Metrolinx often does this on many of our projects. You see weekend closures, you’ve got teams that move some of the biggest—you know, it’s hard to imagine sometimes, or capture it in words, you’ve got full bridges being replaced over a 72-hour period, and that’s deployment of resources 24/7, to minimize delays that a lot of people sometimes might not see because we’ve done the 24-hour construction and phases in that way. So, we do deploy it. We wanna see other ways that we can deploy it. And we’re really excited by the results that we saw on the Gardiner, working with Mayor Chow on that, as well.
Allison Jones
And you also mentioned the tunnel in your speech. Obviously, a big topic that comes up a lot at Queen’s Park. There’s been what it seems a bit of a disconnect between what the Premier says, and how the RFP for the feasibility study framed this. The Premier has said, basically, it’s happening no matter what. The feasibility study is to see how it’s feasible, not if it’s feasible. But the terms of the RFP sort of contemplate, perhaps, it not being feasible, and it asks the study to look at if it’s not feasible, what are some congestion mitigation options. Look at HOV lanes, bus-only lanes, that type of thing. Where do you land on this? Is this happening no matter what, or are you going to sort of follow whatever the feasibility study comes back with?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
Well, I think, you know, it’s a good practice. You wanna, you wanna get all the information possible. I’m very confident that we can build this. We’ve seen the type of infrastructure that has been built all across the world. And Premier Ford has really challenged this narrative. In my speech, I mentioned it as well. I remember in 2019, when he announced the transit plans on the Ontario Line. You know, a lot of people laughed at him and said, how are you gonna build this downtown relief line? You’ve got all these buildings, you’ve got all this infrastructure in the ground. This is a pipe dream. You’ll never ever get it done. And I think part of the conversation is about having this, you know, thinking outside the box, not thinking just the next four to eight years; this is about the next 25 years. And it’s truly a challenge. It’s hard to build above it. You can’t go wider. So, you have to go underneath the 401. And that’s exactly what we are studying, and ultimately wanna do. You know, we’ve seen engineers across the world do some pretty significant and impressive feats. Whether it’s tunneling through a mountain, going through a sea, water, waterways. So, we’re confident that we can deliver on this tunnel. And we’ve got some of the best engineers and people working on this project anywhere in the world. So, we’re very confident of moving this forward. And Premier Ford is very, very committed to this tunnel. And I look forward to helping deliver on it.
Allison Jones
And he’s very, very committed to a lot of transit projects. It seems to be, you know, we joke in the Queen’s Park Press Gallery that it’s his favourite portfolio. He really is invested in the transportation portfolio. He said at one press conference last year, he told a story about how he’s driving down the highway at night, and calls you up at eleven o’clock, midnight, to complain about construction not happening. Does he really call you at midnight? And sort of what is the relationship? How does he drive that forward?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
I get a lot of funny calls from the Premier. And it just, he cares so much about every aspect of the file. And I get it, because it’s so relatable. A hundred percent, I think I remember the day he called me at 11:30. He was definitely on one 400-series highway. And there was a lane blocked off. And he couldn’t see anybody in the lane. So, I think he actually, he called me, he called, I think, at least five other people—he called Luca that day, as well—and he said, “Where are the people working on it? Why are you guys shut this lane off? It’s causing at least a 20-minute delay. Figure this out, get me an answer.” Eventually, we got him an answer as to what it was. But he’s truly, truly very passionate. I often joke with people, I’m just, you know, he’s usually running the file; I’m just helping him along, do some announcements with him, join him, do some photo ops. But he’s very invested in this file.
But it’s transformational. And I think truly, to some of the examples that we talk about. Just this weekend, we were on Monday, or the weekend we opened Mount Dennis Station. And the power of transit is truly fascinating. You know, we were talking with some students there—and I think some of them might not be here, but you know Chris Drew, who’s an avid transit advocate, had some of the members from the Ryerson transit planning class there. And one of the students there was, it was really like, you know, powerful to hear from them that considering moving—now that Mount Dennis Station was open, considering moving to that area. Because before what would have taken you 45 minutes to get to Union Station from Mount Dennis is now a 16-minute, or 14-minute, 16-minute trip from Mount Dennis to Union Station to where he was working. So, it’s truly transformational in how people in that area, or how they can move, how they can get to other parts, how they can have job opportunities in different parts of the city.
You look at our weekend train to Kitchener. Families can, you know, you don’t need a car. You can jump into a Kitchener from Union to the Kitchener Go line there and back on the same day on the weekends, if you want to go out to see anything there, family there, travel there, check it out. That’s truly the power of regional transit, and something that we’ve been trying to deliver on. And so, I think that’s why the Premier is so passionate about it, is because the end goals of transit, the improvement to quality of life, the opportunities, and the productivity increases for not only economy, but just the province, is so significant.
Allison Jones
And I wanted to ask also about your relationship with the Carney government, when it comes to transportation. Obviously, your government is forging ahead on a lot of big transit projects, but there are a lot of them that will either require help from the federal government, or could be sped along by help from the federal government. You’ve got a working group, I believe, on the 413, and GO 2.0 and the tunnel were both on Premier Ford’s wish list of what he’d like to see designated projects of national significance. So, how have you been working with them, when it comes to transportation?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
Yeah, it’s a big file, and I think one of the things that we’ve seen is how expensive it is to build transit and transportation in Ontario, or even in North America anywhere. It’s not an Ontario problem, and it’s not a North American. It’s across the world. It’s very expensive to build transit. And so, we need help. And I have to give credit. You know, the previous federal government did step up, and support some of our five subway line projects. There have been some continued conversation on increasing that level of support, and that continues with the Carney government today, including designations of projects like the 401 tunnel and GO 2.0 as national priority projects. And when we talk about whether it’s GO 2.0 or the tunnel project, which haven’t yet been designated as those, we truly believe they’re nation-building projects. Because on the 401, you’ve got 10,000 trucks a day that are, you know, going through that economic zone. Close to $400 million of goods flowing every single day. You know, those are goods that are gonna go from, whether they’re coming in from Western Ontario, Eastern Ontario, we’ve got access to—the 401 provides access from different parts of the country to many of our other highways that connect into border crossings, or crossing areas where we can very successfully compete in commerce.
So, we’ve gotta continue to keep these areas in mind when we’re moving goods, when we’re being productive. It is truly not just for Ontario. These are goods that are coming from all across the country, and we need to continue building upon them. When you look at projects like GO 2.0, you’re talking about anywhere from Niagara to Hamilton to Kitchener to Stouffville, Barrie, connecting all of these regions into the city. And you know, Michael and his team have been very diligently working on a plan. It’s very expensive to deliver some of this stuff. So, we need them to come to the table, and help and support these transformational projects. The faster we can get to work on these, the faster we can get shovels in the ground on these projects and work together, the faster the province can be more productive, and the country can be more productive. There’s no shying away from the fact that this is the economic engine of the entire country. And you look at the GTHA, truly drives the success for not only this province but this country, and is transformational in the way, when we move goods, when we move people more effectively and efficiently in Ontario, it benefits the entire country.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Allison Jones
I’d like to take at least one of the submitted questions. I like this one, because it looks beyond the GTHA. It says, “What is the vision for transportation investment beyond the GTHA? Particularly interested in investment in the North.”
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
Yeah. And that’s, one of our key flagship transit investments is Northlander. Here’s a project which enables people to—whether it be for medical purposes, family purposes, travel purposes, get from all the way from Timmins to Toronto, and provides a very reliable service every single year, every single day. This is something that was cancelled in the previous government. Something that when I traveled in the North was probably one of the key and most exciting parts of our plan for that area is giving the people the optionality to get on this—especially in the winter months when the weather can be very challenging up in areas like Timmins, or as you drive through that. The cost of travel can be very expensive through air. And so, giving this alternative way for people to travel into the city was something that I was very excited about. And I think the people up north have been very, very excited about. We’re also very close to delivering that project. And so, we’re gonna see that operational next year. And we’re excited to be on that first train on the Northlander next year, to deliver those better transit options. We’ve got huge plans for the North, whether you talk about it from the Ring of Fire, continuing to develop some of those cities and northern regional hubs there. And this will be a key part of that plan to deliver it.
Allison Jones
And I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you about speed cameras, having written probably a dozen stories about it lately. The speed cameras are dead. They’re done. And we’ve heard some municipalities looking at repurposing them. But when it comes to the fund that your government has set up to give out to municipalities to put in these alternate traffic calming measures, how soon is that going to flow? Is it flowing already? And how are you working with municipalities to figure out what to put in place? You know, I know the city of Toronto, for example, has said, well, we can’t put in speed bumps on Parkside Drive. How involved are you in that process of determining what should replace them?
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
Yeah. You know, if we—speed cameras have been a lot of fun over the last couple of weeks. But there’s been, you know, there’s, you know, so many examples I can use from some of the cameras. I think it truly got away from the purpose that it was intended for, and became what, you know, many people that I talked to and saw became a cash trap. And we needed to act on this. So, we put the policy through November 14th, they were done. But as a, what we did as a government is we came up with the $210 million fund. About $42 million of that fund was equally—was not equally, but it distributed to each of the cities depending on how many zones they had, how many cameras they had. So, that was already directly flowed to them last week on the Friday, after they received the letters.
Now, what we will do is look at mechanisms in which cities will submit their plan. They’ve been allocated a certain dollar value out of the $210 million, and we will see their plan and their measures on traffic calming, and what we believe are effective, and then fund the remainder of that allocation. So, we will open up that portal very soon. We will take in their submissions, and our intention is to get that money flowing to them as quickly as possible after their submissions. But you know, every zone is gonna be different. You know, I often use the zone on Avenue Road, where the community safety zone is intended for something that is on the top of the hill. The camera is located on the bottom of the hill. So, not truly doing its intended use of stopping individuals from speeding, where the actual safety or the actual school zone, or daycare in that case, might be. So, I think we really wanna see that these measures that are put in place are effective, and that they truly address, you know, core community needs like school zones. And so, I look forward to working with the mayor’s office across all of municipalities that are impacted, and seeing how we can collectively work to ensure that we have safety on our roads.
Allison Jones
All right, well, I have a lot more questions for you, but we’re gonna have to save them for scrums, because unfortunately that’s all the time we have today. So, thank you very much again, Minister. And I’d like to invite Marsha back up to the podium.
The Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria
Thank you.
Marsha Seca
Thank you, Minister Sarkaria, for sharing your insights and your leadership. We know that your work will continue to impact Ontarians’ daily lives while protecting our economy for years to come. And thank you, Allison, for guiding such an engaging and thoughtful discussion.
To close today’s program, we’re pleased to welcome remarks from the Ontario Road Builders Association, whose members play a vital role in delivering the roads, highways, and bridges that connect our province and support the very infrastructure investments we’ve been discussing. Please join me in welcoming a friend, Walid About-Hamde, CEO of the Ontario Road Builders Association, to the podium.
Note of Appreciation by Walid About-Hamde, CEO, Ontario Road Builders Association
Thank you, Marsha, for the introduction, and good afternoon, everybody. Minister Sarkaria is a very tough act to follow, but I will do my best. And I will say not many people make me feel small, but he is a gentle giant. First, a moment to thank the entire team of the Empire Club of Canada for bringing us all together today, and throughout the year, to explore ideas, and engage in important conversations which help shape the future of our country. I will go off script here for a moment. I’ll share, you only find out who’s sitting with you at the head table when you arrive at the event. So, I was very excited to see a great friend here with us today, who has already accomplished so much in his brief, yet very impactful tenure at Metrolinx. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Michael Lindsay for several years now, and while not at all surprising for those who know Michael, his leadership has already played an indispensable role in invigorating a new life into the agency, which we can all feel. So, thank you, Michael.
The Ontario Road Builders Association is the voice of the transportation infrastructure industry in the province. Our members build and maintain the highways, roads, bridges, rail networks, and airports, which are critical for Ontario’s economic growth and prosperity. I am proud to say our industry employs over 60,000 workers, and contributes over $6 billion to Ontario’s GDP. That is over 60,000 well-paying jobs, supporting thousands of families who contribute to the social mosaic of our communities.
While Ontario’s transportation infrastructure industry is at the core of our economic growth, prosperity, and national security, it is ever so critical in times of uncertainty. Getting shovels in the ground today means ensuring displaced workers have a pathway to a rewarding career, building assets which will benefit us all for generations to come.
Minister Sarkaria has been a champion for building Ontario’s communities since he was first elected in 2018. Since his appointment as Minister of Transportation, he has embodied the spirit of collaboration and partnership. I can say with confidence, under his leadership, the ministry is undergoing a cultural transformation, leading to better project outcomes, and ultimately, value for the people of Ontario. I’ve had the pleasure of joining the minister on several occasions recently to celebrate the start of key infrastructure projects, and important legislative changes which will allow us to build more faster. Minister, we all look forward to standing next to you again, and hopefully for many more years to come. Thank you for your partnership, friendship, and above all, your service to the people of this great province. Thank you.
Concluding Remarks by Marsha Seca
Thank you again to our panellists, sponsors, and of course, to all of you for joining us. I’d also like to take a moment to recognize the students and young leaders joining us today. Please stand. I think you’re somewhere at the back of the room. Students, please stand, don’t be shy. Their presence is made possible through our charitable arm, the Empire Club Foundation, and the generosity of our donors. This support enables us to invite future leaders to take part in today’s dialogue, and to empower them to turn knowledge into leadership that shines in communities, boardrooms, and national conversations shaping Canada’s future.
To stay connected, please subscribe to our newsletter by scanning the QR code on your tables. We also have an exciting new membership program. Please see our staff at the registration desk for more information.
I also hope you’ll join us for two exciting upcoming events. On January 22nd, 2026, we look forward to welcoming Martin Imbleau, President and CEO of Alto, for his talk on high-speed rail, “It’s About Time,” followed by a fireside chat. And on February 17th, we welcome the Honourable Robert Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, for a keynote speech entitled, “Protecting the Dream of Home Ownership in Ontario,” to explain what’s next in Ontario’s plan to support families, attract investment, and create good jobs. Tickets for both events are on sale now.
As always, and as a club of record, all Empire Club events are available to watch and listen to on our website. So, if you want to rewatch that amazing speech given by Minister Sarkaria, you can. The recording of today’s event will be available shortly. Thank you all for being part of this important conversation. It is one that affects all of us in all of our daily commutes, and I am certain we’ll continue to have personal and economic effects for decades to come. Enjoy the networking reception, and we look forward to seeing you at our future events. This meeting is now adjourned.
