Every other Ontario freeway marker carries a cardinal direction tab — NORTH, SOUTH, EAST or WEST. The QEW does not. What is used instead, and what can it say?

Correct answer: D. A destination marker naming one of Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara or Fort Erie

A city name, drawn from a fixed list of four. Book 8 says "Destination Markers are used in place of Cardinal Direction Tabs to provide directional guidance in relation to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)", and that they "shall only show the following control cities: Toronto; Hamilton; Niagara; or Fort Erie." The QEW curves through most of the compass on its way around the lake, so a single cardinal direction would be wrong along much of it — naming the end you are heading for works everywhere on the route. The practical consequence is that you navigate the QEW by destination rather than by direction, and "QEW Toronto" and "QEW Niagara" are opposite ways on the same road.

Source: MTO Driver's Handbook: Ontario Traffic Manual, Book 8 — Guide and Information Signs, Volume 1 (May 2010), Section 4.4 — Marker Tabs, Destination Markers for the Queen Elizabeth Way