Ontario is the weak link in the national highway system and it is costing too many lives and too much money to continue, the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) said in a news release this week.
FONOM is urging the federal and Ontario governments to modernize the Trans-Canada Highway (Highways 11 and 17) across Northern Ontario “and designate it as a nation-building project under the Building Canada Act.”
In the release, FONOM said unlike the four-lane commercial routes available in other provinces, much of the Trans-Canada through Ontario is still only two lanes, “with some of the highest fatality and collision rates in Canada.”
Calling each crash a “human tragedy”, FONOM said each crash is also expensive, disrupting more than 8,400 trucks moving $200 million in goods daily, adding that truck traffic is expected to double in the next decade, making the urgency of addressing the issue even greater.
“Ontario cannot remain the weak link in Canada’s national highway system,” said FONOM president Danny Whalen in the news release. “This project is about saving lives, supporting our economy, and ensuring national security. It is not just Northern Ontario’s issue — it’s Canada’s.”
The organization said it would like to see a “toolbox approach” to Trans-Canada Highway improvements in the North, including strategic four-lane widening, selective twinning and 2+1 highways “to improve safety, reduce costs and minimize environmental impacts along the 3,000-kilometre corridor from Québec to Manitoba.”
“The project is vital to upcoming national priorities, including the Ring of Fire, the NWMO (Nuclear Waste Management Organization) nuclear facility in Ignace, expanded St. Lawrence port activity, and proposals for a James Bay port,” FONOM said.
The group said the idea has the support of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) and the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus.
FONOM is leading the first phase and seeking partnerships with governments, industry and investors, the group added.
“Canada has a proud history of building infrastructure that unites the country,” Whalen said. “Now is the time to make this investment for the future of our nation.”
