- Canada Eyes Highway Tolling Responses To Trump Economic And Sovereignty Threats
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Canada Eyes Highway Tolling Responses To Trump Economic And Sovereignty Threats
CBC News reports, British Columbia Premier David Eby (BC NDP) announced yesterday that his government will introduce legislation to implement tolling of commercial trucks traveling through the province to and from Alaska. Although Eby did not discuss the bill’s provisions or tolling “practicalities,” he said the measure is a necessary response to US government tariffs and Trump administration threats to Canada’s sovereignty.
Eby said legislative action would not be delayed because Trump decided yesterday to defer imposition of a 25-perecnt tariff on some Canadian imports. He emphasized that Canada “should not let up until the threat was removed altogether. ‘It’s all a deliberate tactic to weaken our resolve, and it will not work’ he said.”
Vancouver Sun coverage of Eby’s announcement notes that British Columbia’s trucking industry is concerned that tolls might disrupt supply chain functioning or attract US retaliation.
On Tuesday, CBC News reports, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston (PC) announced an immediate doubling of toll rates US commercial vehicles pay to cross the Highway 104 Cobequid Pass. He added that the province is now rejecting procurement offers by US firms and considering cancellation of existing goods and services contracts. (A software contract with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) valued at CAD 6.2 million annually won’t be affected immediately because an alternative source isn’t available.) In a separate statement, Houston commented, “It is impossible to properly describe the uncertainty and chaos that President Trump’s threat of tariffs, and now actually imposing tariffs, has caused for Canadians.”
According to CBC News, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said this week constituents are urging the territory to toll US motorists using its segment of the Alaska Highway. He noted that “something like that is easier said than done, as it would require new infrastructure — for example, toll booths — new staff, and likely new legislation. ‘We’ve got to look at what our actions are and what legal tools we have to make those decisions,’ Pillai said.”
Alaska American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) British Columbia Canada Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Nova Scotia Toll Rate Changes Yukon TerritoryThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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