TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is seeking Prime Minister Mark Carney's support for his idea to build a tunnel under Highway 401.
Ford sent the prime minister a letter today setting out a series of Ontario priorities that he hopes Carney will address, including accessing critical minerals, building an electric-vehicle supply chain and enacting bail reforms.
Ford says in his letter that at a meeting in March with the premiers, Carney asked them to identify "nation-building projects."
In today's letter, the premier says he would like the federal government to prioritize the Ring of Fire, nuclear energy generation, GO passenger train service, a new James Bay deep-sea port and a driver and transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401.
Opposition critics have ridiculed the tunnel idea as being a "fantasy," saying it would cost tens of billions of dollars and not truly address gridlock.
The Ford government is seeking proposals for a feasibility study for the tunnel, but the premier has pledged to get it built no matter what.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
