Ford considering Hwy. 401 tunnel as special economic zone where laws could be bypassed [Video]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is indicating that Highway 401 could be designated as a special economic zone, allowing the province to fast-track its plans to construct a transit and traffic tunnel beneath it, while sidestepping a raft of environmental and municipal laws.

The province is currently in the process of passing Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, legislation it introduced to speed up mining projects in the north.

Part of the legislation allows for the creation of special economic zones, areas where cabinet will be able to suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects. The projects that would qualify for the wide-ranging powers were not made public when the bill was tabled.

On Friday, Ford suggested that a list of priority plans he sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney at the beginning of the month would all get the exception status.

Those projects are: developing the resource-rich Ring of Fire in Thunder Bay; expanding Ontario’s nuclear power …