Lise Vaugeois, MPP for Thunder Bay–Superior North
Media release News 

Ontario NDP, Truckers for Safer Highways unify in call for action on changes to Truck driver training, testing and enforcement

Guest Contributor

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay-Superior North) and strong advocate for safer roads in Northern Ontario, is once again urging the Ford government to take immediate action following another week of tragic accidents involving truckers in Northern Ontario. This week, a 47-year-old woman lost her life after a crash with a tanker on MR55 in the Greater Sudbury community.

Vaugeois is calling for proper measures to be put in place to protect drivers and keep highways safe. She has been working closely with drivers from Truckers for Safer Highways, who share her concerns. The group is calling for better training for commercial drivers, the staffing of inspection stations 24/7 so that safety regulations can be enforced, and the training of police officers to read electronic logs so that drivers are not driving beyond their permitted number of hours.

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Freedom Convoy Trucks in Ottawa, February 2022. Photo: Donna Laframboise
News Trucking 

“The fight is not over” – CCF challenges Emergencies Act in federal court April 3-5; you must pre-register to view proceedings

RWN Staff

“There was also overwhelming consensus from police officers who testified before the Commission that existing criminal laws would have been sufficient to manage the protests.“ Canadian Constitution Foundation release, February 17 2023 The Canadian Constitution Foundations‘ challenge to the Emergencies

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Photo: "Somewhere out there" Mike Murchison
On the Road with Mike Murchison Opinion/Column Road Safety Discussion Trucking 

40 years waiting for Northern Ontario roads to be improved: “Not in my lifetime,” career driver says

Mike Murchison

by Mike Murchison So, let’s weigh in on the shape of the highways in Northern Ontario. I’m referring to Highways 11 and 17. The “Trans Canada” highway. The main east-west corridor that gets you from the Manitoba border down to

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Photo: Google images
Feature/Profile 

High quality printing, copy equipment may be factors in fraudulent Trucking documents: TTSAO

Rita Smith

The variety of high-quality electronic printing and processing available in recent years may be one of the factors that is making fraudulent practices possible in the Trucking industry, says Trucking Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) president Philip Fletcher.

“It’s a legal nightmare,” Fletcher says. “There is a large degree of fraud enacted in our segment of the industry at this particular time, both for airbrake certifications, as well as renewals. And obviously, in these cases, somebody is sidestepping every one of the many existing barriers and fabricating information to make it look legitimate.”

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Jeff Orr and Travis McDougall, co-founders of Truckers for Safer Highways.
Feature/Profile Trucking 

“I think the problem is larger than people realize” says Truckers for Safer Highways spokesperson

Rita Smith

“I think the problem is larger than people realize,” Orr says. “My guess is that similar groups are probably operating in all the major cities – Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver. Congratulations to the OPP for investigating this situation and laying charges, even getting some put in jail. That is a great job they are doing.”

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Capital Taxi decided that one of its longest-serving drivers should get the first brand-new Toyota Corolla hybrid delivered in March. Capital ordered 30 new vehicles in September, 2022 in the middle of the supply chain crisis, then waited hopefully for delivery. Chahine says the new hybrid is "beautiful, just fantastic!" Photo: Capital Taxi
Feature/Profile News Ride Hailing news Taxi industry news 

Ottawa’s Capital Taxi receives 30 new 2023 Toyotas; first new cab goes to the longest-serving driver Emile Chahine

Rita Smith

makes perfect sense, then, that he was the first Capital driver in line to get one of the 30 brand new Toyotas the Taxi brokerage took delivery of in March, 2023. The new vehicles (22 Corolla hybrids and 8 RAV4s) were ordered in September 2022, in the midst of the North American supply chain crisis. At that time, Taxi drivers whose vehicles were aging out were being warned by dealerships that they would need to order their new one as much as a year in advance.

“I thought I would retire and take up some hobbies,” Emile Chahine says. “Retirement was boring! My son-in-law drove Taxi and suggested I try it out – that was 25 years ago. I’m 73 now, and still enjoy working.” Photo: Capital Taxi

“It’s beautiful, just fantastic!” Chahine enthuses. “A brand-new hybrid….although, it’s black, so in Ottawa that means you have to wash it every single day, to keep the salt and the dust off of it, to keep it shiny,” he laughs.

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A photo from that magical land in which a nurse, an athlete, an IT tech and a graduate all pose together at the same place and time. Image: Canada.ca
Feature/Profile Guest Contributions News 

2023 Federal Budget Highlights

Guest Contributor

On March 28, 2023, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland tabled a new federal budget (the “2023 Budget”). The 2023 Budget sets out the Government of Canada’s spending priorities for the years ahead. These priorities include making life more affordable, investing in health care and dental care, advancing Indigenous reconciliation, and supercharging Canada’s clean technology sector in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act.

The 2023 Budget also follows through on some previously proposed tax measures, such as raising the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) rate[1] and imposing new penalties on transactions that are subject to the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR).[2] These proposals, which our Tax Group discusses in a separate article, may be of relevance to high net worth donors planning to make large or complex tax-driven gifts.

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A budget for that magical land in which a hard hat, a nurse, an athlete, an IT tech and a graduate wearing a mortarboard all coincidentally collect in the same place for a photo. Image: Canada.ca
Guest Contributions Opinion/Column 

Budget to Oblivion

Lindsay Prescott

The Trudeau government released what looks like a pre-election budget this week.

That’s right Trudeau has told his Caucus be ready for an election any time. Likely in June.

The Budget contains lots of goodies with no plan to ever pay back the money borrowed to pay for them.

But that’s the plan of the World Economic Forum run by Klaus Schwab and his second in command Chrystia Freeland who just happens to be Canada’s Finance Minister

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Image: Google
News Ride Hailing news Taxi industry news Trucking 

Europe backtracks on gas car ban

RWN Staff

“The implausibility of a net-zero carbon energy future is becoming so obvious that even Europeans are starting to notice,” the Wall Street Journal editorial board noted on March 27th. “Witness the weekend decision to step back from the ban on internal-combustion automobile engines that the European Union had intended to implement by 2035.”

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