Tag: horror

Feas­ib­il­ity study for High­way 401 tun­nel plan to cost $9.1M

This article was written by the Canadian Press and was published in the Toronto Star on November 7, 2025.

Ontario tax­pay­ers are set to spend $9.1 mil­lion to learn if or how it is feas­ible to build a tun­nel under High­way 401.

The province issued a request for pro­pos­als for the study in the spring and a spokes­per­son for Trans­port­a­tion Min­is­ter Prab­meet Sarkaria said Thursday that WSP Canada Inc. was recently awar­ded the con­tract.

“Our gov­ern­ment is mak­ing sig­ni­fic­ant pro­gress on the trans­form­a­tional project to build a tun­nel under High­way 401 that will get people and goods mov­ing across the province faster,” Dakota Brasier wrote.

Before the feas­ib­il­ity study was even star­ted, Premier Doug Ford spoke often and in detail about his vis­ion for a tun­nel.

Ford laid out his plan for the tun­nel to be 19.5 metres wide and three levels, with one level each for east­bound and west­bound traffic and another for transit.

“We’re build­ing that tun­nel as sure as I’m talk­ing to you, and we’re going to con­tinue (to) reach out to experts around the world,” he said in August.

“If they can tun­nel under the Eng­lish Chan­nel, if they can tun­nel through moun­tains and every other place, we sure the heck can tun­nel along the 401.”

The premier has also urged Prime Min­is­ter Mark Car­ney to des­ig­nate it as a nation build­ing project, say­ing it is needed in order to reduce grid­lock and boost eco­nomic pro­ductiv­ity.

Crit­ics have called the idea a van­ity project or a fantasy.

“I don’t know how they sleep at night,” NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Thursday. “I’ll just say it … I think very few people really believe this is a real thing.”

Ford has pre­vi­ously said the feas­ib­il­ity study would look at how — not if — the tun­nel could be built, but the request for pro­pos­als does con­tem­plate the pos­sib­il­ity of a tun­nel not being pos­sible.

The RFP sought a study to determ­ine the feas­ib­il­ity of a tun­nel and sev­eral other options includ­ing an elev­ated high­way, adding more lanes and hav­ing truck­only lanes.

“If no capa­city expan­sion option is determ­ined to be feas­ible, then con­ges­tion mit­ig­a­tion options are to be iden­ti­fied as altern­at­ive to expan­sion,” the request told pro­spect­ive pro­ponents.

Fire-ravaged Saskatchewan village struggles

This article was written by Jeremy Simes and was published in the Globe & Mail on October 6, 2025.

Residents of Denare Beach are picking up the pieces after the fire destroyed half the community

Brittany Holmgren has lived in her hometown her entire life. Denare Beach is where she’s enjoyed the outdoors with friends, got her first job and started a family – but it’s also where she lost nearly everything.

In June, a wildfire tore through the northeast Saskatchewan village, located near the Manitoba boundary.

The 33-year-old mother’s home, along with her workplace, burned down.

“My house and my job are gone,” Ms. Holmgren said in an interview. “Everything was incinerated. There were people digging through their houses finding absolutely nothing. The windows on my car were melted down the side of my car.”

Ms. Holmgren is among many in the tight-knit village of 700 picking up the pieces after the fire destroyed half the community.

She and her two daughters, ages 4 and 7, moved in with Ms. Holmgren’s mother in nearby Flin Flon, Man. Her two dogs are

Denare Beach is situated in the Canadian Shield region, surrounded by the boreal forest and a lake popular for fishing and boating. Tourists flock to the village each summer, staying in cabins or resorts, doubling the population.

staying in her camper back in Denare Beach because it’s not suitable for the pets to stay at her mom’s.

“My dogs don’t get along with other dogs. It’s just been hectic,” Ms. Holmgren said. “I’m 33 years old and I don’t want to live with my mom.”

The home of her daughters’ father was also scorched, she added.

“The four-year-old is taking it a little harder than my seven-yearold, but she’s just been so strong.”

Denare Beach is situated in the Canadian Shield region, surrounded by the boreal forest and a lake popular for fishing and boating. Tourists flock to the village each summer, staying in cabins or resorts, doubling the population.

But for those who live in Denare Beach year-round, finding a new home has been onerous.

Ms. Holmgren said she’s seen rentals go for $1,000 a month plus utilities, which is high for the market. She had paid $800 a month for a four-bedroom house with a double garage.

“Everyone is skyrocketing their prices,” she said.

Jennifer Hysert also lost her home and business in the fire. She said her family is living in a camper that’s inside a warehouse in Flin Flon until they can rebuild.

Ms. Hysert said while residents have pushed through to get their community cleaned up quickly, some are “jacking up” rent prices or charging more for other essentials.

“When 500 people go homeless, it’s not easy to find accommodations for everybody,” she said.

Village councillor Karen Thomson said she’s aware that prices for everything are going up.

“It’s unfortunate,” Ms. Thomson said. “People may look at [it as] an opportunity that insurance is paying for it. It’s not something I agree with but that’s what happens.”

Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has begun placing temporary trailers in Denare Beach and nearby Creighton to house residents. Some were expected to move in at the start of this month.

The agency says rents start at $680 a month for individual units. For multifamily units, it’s $1,360 to $1,700 a month.

“The temporary housing units are expected to support the needs of the displaced individuals and families as they rebuild,” it says in a statement.

Ms. Holmgren said the temporary trailers don’t appeal to her. The trailers can be split into two separate units, or a family can live in the entire trailer for a higher price.

There will also only be two trailers in Denare Beach, with most to be placed in nearby Creighton. “It’s just really hard to figure out where you want to be and what you want to do, especially with such limited options,” Ms. Holmgren said. Ms. Thomson said the trailers in her village have been rented out and she’s heard residents are pleased with them.

“We want people to be comfortable,” she said.

Ms. Thomson said the village will need financial support owing to an expected decrease in tax and utility revenues. She and other councillors met Premier Scott Moe late last month to discuss ideas, but the meeting came as a surprise and left local officials feeling “ill-prepared for meaningful conversation,” she said.

Mr. Moe, whose government has been criticized by residents for a lack of preparation to fight the blaze, did not advertise he was heading to the community.

Almost half of the province’s water-bomber fleet was grounded during the worst of a wildfire season that saw 10,000 forced to flee. The province has said it deployed crews to Denare Beach as quickly as it could.

Ms. Hysert wants answers. “I’m actively working to hold them accountable for their negligence and for retribution,” she said.

Ms. Thomson said while it was “a really dark summer,” she remains optimistic.

“I believe that we’re going to rebuild and we’re going to have families back,” she said. “Our firefighters worked tirelessly to hold that fire back and it just overcame them.”