“All of these issues are non-partisan” Vaugeois says of Truck safety initiatives

MTO’s promised six week response time drags past six months

“This is a bit of a report card,” Lise Vaugeois, NDP MPP for Thunder Bay—Superior North noted in her opening statement to the November 23rd press conference on the safety of Ontario’s highways, with particular emphasis on the Northern Highways.

“I had a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation in May, at which time I outlined all the concerns that we had been discussing. I was promised a response within three to six weeks; at least six months later, there has still been no response.”

Vaugeois’ experience with staff at MTO is not unusual, as stakeholders and media alike have complained to the office of the Minister of Transportation that responses from staff at MTO and also the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (which oversees Trucking schools) have ranged from a slow response to no response at all. Road Warrior News spent four months asking for the number of career college inspectors and finally received it only after complaining to Premier’s Office staff.

Speakers at the NDP-sponsored press conference on November 23rd included MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk-James Bay) and Travis McDougall of Truckers for Safer Highways. Bourgouin introduced a Private Member’s Bill “Chad’s Law” on November 21st, which would make obeying the double-solid line “no passing” tradition in Ontario an actual law.

Vaugeois provided attendees to the Zoom press conference with an overview of her concerns dating from early 2023, during which time a snow plow driver was killed in an accident and a truck left the highway to collide with two homes in Beardmore.

Improved Truck driver training including winter driving training; opening the inspection stations which are closed too much of the time; increased enforcement by OPP and MTO officers; and more rest areas are Vaugeois’ main concerns. “Fake” Truck driving schools and reports of cheating on test by Driver Examiners are also issues of concern, she says.

“All of the things that we’re talking about today are non-partisan. They should be non-partisan,” Vaugeois pointed out. “We shouldn’t be having to have a political battle to get the government to act on these issues.”