The article discusses the cost of using Highway 407 in Ontario, noting that a round trip commute of 40km during peak hours would cost approximately $46 plus an additional $1 trip fee, totaling $47 for a daily commute. It also mentions Martha Lillard, the last U.S. polio patient relying on an iron lung who recently passed away at age 78, highlighting the importance of continued global efforts to eradicate polio through vaccination campaigns.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Walter Danti from Woodbridge, Ontario writes about the high cost of commuting on Highway 407, which charges around $1.15 per kilometer during peak hours. For someone with a round-trip commute of 40 km, this adds up to $46 plus a $1 trip fee, totaling $47. At a salary rate of $50/hour, commuting would take up an entire hour each way or two hours for a full day's work, consuming 25% of the daily wage just for travel.
Martha Lillard, the last US polio patient to use an iron lung, passed away in Oklahoma at age 78 on July 10. She relied on medical assistance for her entire life due to polio, which affected mobility and independence. While many consider polio a historical disease, it still impacts communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, highlighting the ongoing need for vaccination efforts globally.
Written for “Letters to Editor Responses” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
This is what driving on Highway 407 costs today
The 407 now costs around $1.15/km during peak hours.
asserted
407 → drive → hours
If your commute to work and back is 40km each way, it would cost $46 plus $1 trip fee for a total of $47.
asserted
it → cost → 47
On a salary of $50/hr, you have to work a full hour to cover a one-way commute and two hours to cover a return commute.
asserted
you → have → commute
On an 8-hour working day this would be relate to 25% of your day’s pay just for the commute.
asserted
this → relate → commute
The government of the day sold Highway 407 to a private enterprise for about $3 billion to show that they made about a $2 billion surplus.
asserted
they → sell → surplus
The sad part is that the public who paid for this toll road cannot afford to use it.
asserted
who → pay → it
Walter Danti, Woodbridge, ON
Let’s make polio a disease for the history books
Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma, July 10
Seventy-three years.
asserted
Lillard → make → Oklahoma
That is how long Martha Lillard relied on an iron lung to support her breathing before her passing earlier this year.
asserted
Lillard → rely → passing
Imagine a lifetime of immobility that can be prevented with one vaccine.
asserted
that → imagine → vaccine
Although for many people, polio is a disease of the past, there are still communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan that are severely affected by it.
asserted
that → be → it
Polio anywhere is a global health hazard - its existence - whether near or far from our borders poses a threat to unimmunized populations everywhere.
asserted
existence → pose → populations
Canada has been a strong leader in supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative by funding global vaccination campaigns which have led to a reduction in wild polio virus cases by more than 99 per cent since 1988.
asserted
which → support → 1988
Ahead of World Polio Day on Oct. 24, I urge Mark Carney and the Canadian government to stand up for the remaining one per cent by continuing to fund global health and polio eradication initiatives.
asserted
I → urge → initiatives
With one vaccine, we can change the trajectory of a life and make polio a disease for the history books.
asserted
polio → change → books
As a Sudbury resident, I appreciated exploring how my values align with the candidates’.
asserted
values → appreciate → candidates
I agree: “Democracy, done right, demands a lot of us.”
asserted
Democracy → agree → us
For me, one issue rises above all: the climate crisis.
asserted
issue → rise → all
Voting for the climate is one of the most powerful individual actions we can take.
asserted
we → vote → actions
Governments decide how quickly we move away from fossil fuels.
asserted
we → decide → fuels
Federal data show municipalities influence over 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions through decisions on transportation, buildings, land use and infrastructure.
asserted
municipalities → show → transportation
Research on the 2019 federal election estimated each vote carried roughly 34 tonnes of potential emissions over 3.4 years; CCL Canada’s 2025 analysis found about 13.5 tonnes annually per vote.
asserted
analysis → estimate → vote
Cathy Orlando, Sudbury
Turn to Ford with city traffic issues
I tried to find Premier Ford’s cell number, which he has previously flaunted.
asserted
he → turn → which
Since Mr. Ford has taken to intervening in municipal business, especially with bike lanes, I am hoping he could help me out with all the spillover traffic from Danforth Ave. onto my street, which is one block north of the Danforth.
uncertain
which → take → Danforth
My street has speed humps intended to keep traffic at the 30 km. maximum.
asserted
street → have → maximum
What happens during rush hour or when Danforth Ave. is congested is that cars, trucks, and sometimes construction vehicles rumble down my residential street, often hopping the speed bumps and blowing through stop signs.
asserted
cars → happen → signs
Can Premier Ford help with this?
asserted
Ford → help → this
Is he concerned about the young kids who play on the street, walk home from the elementary schools, or ride their bicycles?
asserted
who → concern → bicycles
East York seems ready for a change in how to keep our streets safe and free from rogue drivers.
asserted
York → seem → drivers
The Aporia
