Northern MPP reintroduces bill for safer winter highways
Mushkegowuk-James Bay NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin reintroduced his private member’s bill Tuesday morning at Queen’s Park to improve maintenance standards for safer winter driving on highways 11 and 17.
The bill would make it the law that the province must clear the roads within eight hours of a snowfall.
It would classify northern highways the same as all 400 series highways that have the strictest snow removal requirements.
“Northerners have been waiting long enough. Premier Doug Ford should have acted on my bill two years ago to clear our highways during the winter and make it safer for northern families. Ford’s refusal to act means northern drivers keep risking their lives on poorly maintained routes in the winter,” said Bourgouin.
“With this bill, we can prevent highway tragedies in northern Ontario by making our highways safer. Northern drivers and their families deserve nothing less than to know that their roads are safe during our long winter months.”
Bourgouin was joined at the online news conference by representatives from northern communities and businesses who are calling for safer, cleaner highways to reduce winter closures, said an Ontario NDP release.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s snow removal classification standards depend on the type of highway and traffic volumes, not on climate or vehicle size and weight. Bourgouin’s bill would bump up highways 11 and 17 to Class 1 in all of their sections, whether two or four-lane, and eliminate vehicular traffic specification.
“Northern highways are no longer safe and road closures occur more often than before. Commercial traffic has drastically increased on the Highway 11 corridor and our road infrastructure and maintenance need to be adapted to better serve all northern communities and businesses,“ said Mario Villeneuve, vice-president of Villeneuve Construction.
Jordanna Colwill, a spokesperson for Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, told CTV News in an email the provincial Progressive Conservative "government is committed to maintaining a safe and efficient highway network across our province – particularly in northern Ontario where the winter months pose significant challenges for drivers."
"Ontario has among the highest standards in the entire country to achieve bare pavement following a snowfall and we want to keep it that way. There will always be exceptional circumstances during a winter storm," Colwill said.
A review of winter maintenance operations on Highways 11 and 17 in 2020 confirmed the province is meeting or exceeding all clearing standards for these highways, she said.
However, the province will conduct a trial this winter with a goal of 12 hours to bare pavement at select portions of those two northern highways.
"This will help inform areas where we can implement more stringent standards for clearing to help northerners get where they need to go faster and more safely," Colwill said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Case against ex-Mountie charged with helping China can go ahead in Quebec, judge says
A Quebec court judge has ruled that the case against a former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference can go ahead in the province.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, will plead guilty in betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly US$17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.