A private member’s bill aimed at improving maintenance standards and making driving safer on Highways 17 and 11 in northern Ontario will be debated tomorrow (Thursday) at Queen’s Park.
It has been introduced by NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin who stresses too many residents have lost their life, or suffered life altering injuries.
His legislation will ensure the two main northern highways are maintained with the province’s strictest requirements for snow removal.
“By classifying the northern highways the same as all 400 series highways and the QEW, snow must be removed within eight hours of the end of a snowfall.”
Bourgouin’s bill would bump up Highways 17 and 11 to Class 1.
During a media conference today (Wednesday), he pointed to data from 2013.
“An average of 54,000 truck trips per week travel along the northern Ontario highway network and carry more than half a million tonnes of commodities, which is estimated at a total value of $1.24-billion.
He adds if you compare the region of Kenora, Timiskaming and Cochrane to those of Durham, Halton and Toronto, drivers are three times more likely to engage in a fatal crash in the north.
Bourgouin says “Since the Liberal government privatized winter maintenance and enforced performing based area maintenance contracts in 2009, things have gone from bad to worse.”
