The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) is joining the chorus of supporters seeking safety upgrades to highways in Northern Ontario.
In an Oct. 17 news release, the non-profit organization, which represents the interests of private trucking fleets in Canada, said it was throwing its support behind the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) in seeking “twinning, strategic four-land-widening and use of 2+1 highways in the region.”
FONOM put out a plea for highway upgrades this past summer, calling for a two-phase plan to modernize sections of Highways 11 and 17 in an effort to improve economic efficiency, safety and national connectivity.
The Truck Council endorses this view in a letter sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, as well as the federal and provincial transport ministers.
“These highways are lifelines of our members, drivers, customers, and communities. Every day, thousands of transport trucks travel these routes to move essential goods — including food, fuel, equipment, and raw materials — between eastern and western Canada,” Truck Council president Mike Millian writes in the letter.
“Our members know firsthand the dangers and delays caused by limited passing opportunities, winter closures, and long single-lane stretches. The risks to safety, schedules, and supply chain reliability are significant.”
The FONOM proposal is “practical, cost-effective, and proven to save lives while improving traffic flow and reducing collisions,” Millian adds.
After determining the level of traffic on Highway 11 doesn't meet its threshold for four-laning, the province said in 2021 it would instead go ahead with a pilot project of the 2+1 highway model, confirming it was considering two potential stretches of Highway 11 north of North Bay to trial it: a 14-kilometre stretch from Sand Dam Road to Ellesmere Road, and a 16-kilometre stretch from Highway 64 to Jumping Caribou Lake Road (16 kilometres).
Two years ago, the province awarded AECOM the environmental assessment and design contract for the project, with the pilot estimated to begin in 2026.
Calling this “important work,” the Truck Council called on the federal government to chip in funding to extend similar improvements improvements along the full Trans-Canada corridor from Quebec to Manitoba.
Doing so would improve driver and public safety, enhance reliability for time-sensitive freight and just-in-time manufacturing, and strengthen national trade and logistics efficiency, the Truck Council said.
“As an association whose members are committed to the safe and efficient movement of goods across Canada, we urge both levels of government to prioritize this nation-building project and commit the resources required to make it a reality.”