THUNDER BAY – Northern Ontario municipalities are welcoming the creation of a new provincial task force intended to bring a greater focus to transportation issues in the north.
The Northern Transportation Task Force, which is formed largely of representatives from northern municipalities, “will focus on transportation needs and opportunities in the region,” the province announced this week.
Wendy Landry, mayor of Shuniah and president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, is one of two co-chairs of the new group.
She said the task force will address many of the issues raised in the province’s northern transportation plan, released in 2020.
“We’ll be reviewing that plan, as well as looking at other issues we’re concerned about,” she said, singling out highway safety and maintenance contracts as two issues in which she has particular interest.
Tackling safety on northern highways isn’t only about pushing forward the long-held ask to finish four-laning the Trans-Canada Highway across the region, she said.
She hopes the task force will also look at issues like licensing standards for truck drivers, and intermediate steps like the 2+1 highway model, which the province recently approved for a pilot project in northeastern Ontario.
“When we look at the number of accidents involving transports of late, we need to talk about licensing issues [and] be consistent [federally and provincially],” she said. “We need to talk about the safety of our highways – there’s a lot of things.”
The group includes representation from the trucking industry, Northern Policy Institute, Grand Council Treaty #3, and Anishinabek Nation, but is dominated by leaders from northern municipalities and municipal associations (Thunder Bay is not directly represented, but is a NOMA member).
The full membership is as follows:
- Danny Whalen (Co-Chair): President, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and Councillor, City of Temiskaming Shores
- Wendy Landry (Co-Chair): President, Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) and Mayor, Municipality of Shuniah
- Mayor Brian Bigger: Mayor of Greater Sudbury
- Mayor Daniel Reynard: Mayor of Kenora
- Mayor Dave Plourde: Mayor of Kapuskasing
- Mayor Doug Lawrance: Mayor of Sioux Lookout
- Mayor Johanne Baril: Mayor of the Municipality of Val Rita-Harty and President of NorthEastern Ontario Municipal Association
- Grand Chief Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh: Grand Council Treaty #3
- Chief Melvin Hardy: Northern Superior Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief, Anishinabek Nation
- Kevin Eshkawkogan: CEO of Indigenous Tourism Ontario
- Alan Spacek: Chair of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission
- Charles Cirtwill: President and CEO of the Northern Policy Institute
- Ron Bumstead: Owner, Bumstead Trucking
Landry called the formation of the task force a positive sign the province, and particularly Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, is taking northern concerns seriously.
“She’s listening, she took the initiative to start this taskforce, bringing all of those who are subject matter experts to the table to have a conversation,” Landry said. “I think that’s a great move from the government, and I believe this is our way of having our voices at the table to advocate and have strong messaging as to what we need in this area.”
Landry and fellow co-chair Danny Whalen, president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and a Temiskaming Shores municipal councillor, have put together terms of reference for the group, along with ministry staff.
Landry expects an initial meeting of the organizing committee to take place this week.
