Ontario drivers will soon be travelling faster on major stretches of the province’s 400‑series highways, as the Ford government moves ahead with a sweeping expansion of 110 km/h speed limits—a change that will roll out in phases from June through September 2026.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria confirmed Wednesday that the province will permanently raise speed limits on more than 900 kilometres of highways, beginning June 26, with additional increases scheduled through the summer.
The move builds on earlier expansions in 2022 and 2024, which followed a multi‑year pilot project showing select highways could safely accommodate higher speeds.
The first changes will take effect this Friday (June 26) on portions of Highways 401 and 416 in Eastern Ontario.
“Under the leadership of Premier [Doug] Ford, our government is helping get drivers where they’re going faster and safely,” said Sarkaria via a press release. “We’re going to keep supporting commuters, workers and businesses by investing in our $31 billion plan to build and expand roads and highways, so we can get people and goods moving across Ontario and keep workers on the job.”
The province will then expand 110 km/h limits across dozens of additional corridors on July 31, Aug. 21, Aug. 31, and Sept. 30.
Sarkaria has repeatedly argued that the increases are “evidence‑based” and bring Ontario in line with other provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia, where 110 km/h is standard.
Ontario first tested higher limits in 2019 on three highway segments, then expanded the program in 2022 and again in 2024. Those expansions covered roughly 860 kilometres — about 36 per cent of the network — and included stretches of the QEW, Hwy. 402, Hwy. 417, and Hwy. 404.