Diverts 1300 Trucks to 11/17

The Ontario Trucking Association says a new bylaw in Thunder Bay will have a negative impact on inter-provincial trade and pose additional road safety risks to the City of Thunder Bay and surrounding communities. 

On Monday June 23,Thunder Bay City Council passed Bylaw 211-2025 – Designated Truck Route, which establishes new truck routes through the City of Thunder Bay starting October 1, 2025. The bylaw prohibits most truck traffic from using Dawson Road and its connector, Hwy 102. Historically, this is a heavily used bypass route of the city for trucks engaged in interprovincial freight movements. It was originally designed as a bypass and designated a connecting link. 

About 1300 trucks, carrying $60 million of trade daily, will be diverted onto Hwy 17 from Hwy 102. This will add about 7.6 million km of truck travel per year – which is projected to result in an additional 5.7 tractor-trailer collisions annually on Hwy 17. The extra distance will also burn an additional 3 million litresof diesel fuel and create 7900 tonnes of CO² emissions.  

OTA opposes the bylaw, calling it a major trade barrier, and asked Premier  Ford and ministers Sarkaria, Flack and Fedeli to help remove it.  

“OTA agrees that truck safety in this region is of concern and needs to be addressed immediately; however, the implementation of this bylaw is not how to achieve safety improvements. OTA believes we all need to work together on improving road safety in Northern Ontario, including 24/7 operation of truck inspection stations and joint enforcement actions with other government agencies that intersect with the industry,” OTA stated in the letter. 

“As barriers to inter-provincial trade are being removed, it’s extremely concerning 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that supports trade between Western and Central Canada, as well as regional economies in the Thunder Bay area, is being withdrawn from the network.”