The introduction of an opposition bill by the NDP would help somewhat improve Highway Safety in Ontario, but still falls short of what is required to address the growing problem of non-compliance in the trucking sector or matches previous commitments made by Minister Sarkaria.
Sarkaria has told OTA he supports 24/7 operation of enforcement scales throughout Ontario, particularly at the Thunder Bay location.
“The bill announced this week by the NDP only calls for 12-hour presence, which will do little-to-nothing to stop the underbelly of our industry from continuing to put fellow road users at risk everyday along the Trans-Canada Highway, which is the key link to Canada’s east-west trade network,” said OTA president and CEO Stephen Laskowski.
The Bill goes on to make sound directional recommendations regarding winter maintenance on highways 11 & 17 and improvements to commercial driver training. OTA has provided extensive comment and recommendations on these and other safety-compliance issues.
In an open letter to Federal Transport Minister Freeland, Sarkaria recently highlighted the importance of 11/17 to the national interest and pointed how that the Truck Highway Expansion Project does not qualify for federal funding.
He urged that the federal and provincial governments make this highway a joint priority and establish a cost sharing agreement in the national interest to ensure it is maintained and cleared in the winter to the same standards as 400 series highways.
“The required focus on truck safety, training standards and the infrastructure prioritization of 11/17 are extremely important to OTA and the Ontario trucking industry. Success will require provincial leadership and federal cooperation,” said Laskowski.
OTA will be working with the Government of Ontario, and, through the Canadian Trucking Alliance, federal matters related to these issues.
Updates will be reported to the members throughout the summer.
To read a copy of the opposition bill please click here.
To read Minister Sarkari open letter to Minister Freeland, please click here.