Sault council wants highway safety improvements to be a priority in Ontario election
Sault Ste. Marie city council has asked Mayor Christian Provenzano to contact provincial political parties ahead of the June election to make improvements to Highway 17 north of the Sault a priority in the next term.
The motion by council points to frequent road closures between the Sault and Wawa and said expanding that stretch of road could mitigate the effects of those closures.
The motion by City Councillor Matthew Shoemaker points out the economic importance of Highway 17 north of the city, and how closures impact residents along the route.
"It backs up all economic activity for a significant period of time," said Shoemaker.
"It chokes people off who are in the northern areas from being able to access all the services that we provide for them in the urban centre like grocery stores, like the hospital."
Shoemaker said four-laning of the TransCanada Highway north of the Sault has been looked at for a number of years but has never truly gotten off the ground.
He said the pandemic essentially halted all but COVID-19-related business in the last two years, but said previous governments also failed to act.
"It's a provincial project and needs the provincial endorsement in order to move forward, and it hasn't got that from the previous Liberal government or from this PC government, and that's a failing on both their parts," Shoemaker said.
Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano defended the current Progressive Conservative government's infrastructure investments in the city.
"We have invested over $6 million just in connection links funding to double the lanes for Black Road, to resurface Trunk Road, and there's still more to come," said Romano.
"We continue to work on these things, (and) I would just ask any member of council who has a resolution, just pick up the phone and call me and we can talk about these things first."
Shoemaker said he would like to see an environmental assessment restarted for a bypass from Highway 17 East to 17 North, which was cancelled by the previous provincial Liberal government.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.