Ontario is about to get a little faster.
The provincial government has announced a sweeping expansion of 110 km/h speed limits across its highway network, adding 938 kilometres of roadway to a policy that first took shape back in 2022. When fully implemented by the end of September, nearly 89 percent of Ontario’s provincial highways will carry the higher limit up sharply from just 43 percent today.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made the announcement at a press conference in King City on June 24, flanked by Premier Doug Ford. The first phase took effect June 26, with sections of Highway 401 and Highway 416 in eastern Ontario making the jump from 100 to 110 km/h.
“This work is critical to improve travel times for families, commuters, and workers,” Sarkaria said. The minister added that the changes will shave roughly 20 minutes off the drive between Sarnia and Toronto, and close to 30 minutes on the Toronto-to-Ottawa corridor.
Ford, who first floated the idea of broader limit increases in fall 2024, framed the policy as a practical alignment between posted limits and how those roads were actually built. “We’re increasing the speed limits wherever it can be done safely,” he said. The highways targeted for the change were originally designed for speeds at or above what the new limits reflect, making the adjustment a long-overdue correction rather than a radical departure.
For those worried about safety, Sarkaria offered a pointed reassurance: in every corridor where limits were already raised in 2022, fatalities have not gone up.
The rollout is being phased in across the summer. After the June 26 opener on the 401 and 416, Highway 402 near London sees changes on July 31. A larger batch including stretches of Highways 7, 115, 400, 416, 417, and sections of the 401 takes effect August 21 and 31. The final wave, covering the QEW, Highway 403, 404, 406, 407, 412, and 418, completes the transition by September 30.
In total, nearly 1,800 kilometres of provincial highways will sit at 110 km/h once all phases are complete.
One thing that is not changing: the stunt driving threshold. Drivers will still face charges if they exceed the posted speed limit by 50 km/h or more meaning the bar for a stunt driving charge on these newly upgraded roads moves from 150 to 160 km/h. The province was explicit that this threshold shifts with the posted limit, so faster legal travel does not create added legal wiggle room for excessive speeds.
The expansion builds on a pilot stretching back several years and represents the most significant single addition to Ontario’s 110 km/h network since the program began.
