History

There are 23 service centres located on Highways 400 and 401.  The service centres are located on lands owned by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.  The service centres are individually leased and operated by one of three operators (Petro-Canada, Imperial Oil (Esso) or Shell Canada) who sublease to food operators, retail shop owners and tourism organizations. 

The majority of the service centres were built in the 1960s, apart from three, which were rebuilt in the late 1990s (Newcastle, Ingersoll, and Maple).     

Current uses of the service centres

The 23 service centres are unique to Ontario as they are the only facilities with direct access to Highways 400 and 401. Currently, travelers can stop to rest, buy fuel and food, use public telephones or washrooms, or have a drink of water, while parking for free.  The service centres contribute to road safety - an important initiative for the Ministry - by providing a rest area for motorists to take a break and ease fatigue during long drives.

All service centres are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even on holidays. 

Where are the service centres located? 

There are ten service centres along the 401 westbound corridor from Bainsville (Quebec border) to Tilbury (near Windsor); nine service centres along the 401 eastbound corridor from Tilbury to Morrisburg; two highway service centres along the 400 southbound corridor at Maple and Cookstown; and two highway service centres along the 400 northbound corridor at King City and Barrie. 

Highlights of the service centres and Highways 400 and 401

  • There are 23 service centres along 1,000 kilometres of highway.
  • The service centres are situated on a total of 900 acres of land (362 hectares).
  • Service centres are within one hour's drive of each other.
  • More than 500,000 vehicles, including 45,000 trucks in total, travel by the sites each day.
  • Highways 400 and 401 are amongst the busiest highways in North America.   
  • More people visit Ontario (traveling along Highway 401) for tourism and recreational purposes than any other province. 
  • Highway 401 is the gateway to the Windsor-Detroit border crossing, which handles about 28 per cent of the $300 billion Canada-US trade volume. 

Why redevelop the service centres?

The service centres contribute to Ontario tourism by providing tourists with convenient rest, food and fuel stops. The facilities need to be aesthetically pleasing as they form people's first impression of our province.  Currently, only a few of the sites have been upgraded and many sites are deteriorating and in need of renewal.

The service centres also play an important role in maintaining road safety and economic prosperity. The border crossing between Windsor and Detroit is the vital economic link between southern Ontario and the United States.  It accounts for 28 per cent of Canada-U.S. merchandise trade.  The truckers hauling merchandise along this corridor are in need of convenient places to rest, eat and refuel.  Commercial motorists can easily take a break at one of the 23 service centres because they are strategically located along the highways.

Twenty of the long-term leases with the oil companies will expire between 2007 and 2011, with the remaining three leases expiring between 2018 and 2025.  With so many of the leases up for renewal, this is an opportune time for the Ministry to partner with the private sector to renew and revitalize these facilities to better serve the traveling public.

The Ministry's vision

In late August 2007, the Ministry and Infrastructure Ontario started a procurement process to select a single operator to redevelop all the sites and to offer a quality suite of standard services and amenities to the traveling public.

Redevelopment of the service centres will: 

  • provide a network of renewed service centres that offer a quality suite of standard services and amenities for the traveling public and commercial motorists; 
  • contribute to road safety; 
  • create a reputation for high quality and dependability; and  
  • maximize revenues and leverage current investments.

The service centres project is the first Ministry of Transportation project to be delivered under the Province's Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) program.  AFP makes the best use of private sector resources and expertise to provide on-time, on-budget project delivery and to transfer appropriate risks to the private sector.

Unlike other infrastructure projects where the government pays the private sector for constructing infrastructure, the selected operator of the service centres will pay the redevelopment costs.  Additionally, the private sector will continue to pay the government to lease and operate the sites.  

Redevelopment of a number of facilities is scheduled to begin in November 2008.