In an 8-5 vote Monday night, Thunder Bay City Council moved forward with a bylaw that will establish a new truck route through the City.
Information from Council indicates the new routes and restrictions go into effect October 1, 2025.
“It’s extremely concerning that at a time when barriers to inter-provincial trade are coming down that a key truck route that supports trade between Western and Central Canada as well as regional economies in the Thunder Bay area is being removed from the network” said Geoff Wood, Sr. VP Policy, Ontario Trucking Association.
Of note, the by-law as OTA understands it will prohibit most truck traffic from using Dawson Road and its connector Hwy 102, a heavily used bypass route of the city for trucks — requiring an increased use of Hwy 11/17.
“Thunder Bay sits in a crucial location in the Canadian supply chain, and redundancy in our highway network is necessary. The supply chain loses those options with Councils decision, and we are hopeful there are no unintended consequences”, continued Wood.
Proponents of the by-law cite a number of safety concerns related of the trucking industry and interactions with the local community. Truck Safety in Northern Ontario has also been a focus of OTAs attention for the last several years including the need for 24/7 scale operations.
OTA is currently reviewing the details of the new by-law and will be seeking clarification from the City and Ministry of Transportation over the coming weeks on how implementation and enforcement will take place. Additional communications to the membership will be forthcoming.
Further details on the by-law can be found here.
OTA members wishing to provide insight on the potential impact of the new by-law are encouraged to submit details to operations_safety@ontruck.org. Please use subject line – Thunder Bay Truck Route Impact.