A private members bill to improve safety on Highway 11 is moving on to the next stage.
Wednesday, Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin's Bill 59, Making Northern Ontario Highways Safer Act was debated and passed its second reading at Queen's Park.
To become legislation, bills need to pass three readings. Before getting to the third reading, it will be sent to the committee stage.
“This is a good step for the people of Northern Ontario who need and deserve safer winter highways. The Ford government should have acted years ago to clear our highways on time to protect Northern drivers and their families,” said Bourgouin in a news release.
"This government must not sit on this bill and let it die in committee. Each day that goes by means more drivers are risking their lives on the ice and snow of our uncleared highways. Doug Ford and the Conservatives must act now and pass this bill so that all Northerners can finally have safer highways during our long winters."
The bill aims to make winter driving safer on Highway 11 and 17 by legislating that roads be cleared within eight hours of a snowfall. It would require classifying the northern highways the same as the 400-series highways, where there are strict snow removal requirements.
This is the second time that Bourgouin is introducing the bill. In 2019, it was defeated in a vote that was skipped by the three Northern Ontario government ministers — Greg Rickford, Ross Romano and Vic Fedeli.
With numerous serious accidents on Highway 11 recently, a Kapuskasing woman has also launched a letter-writing campaign calling on the government to make changes on highways 11 and 17.
For the campaign called Letter for Chad, people can send a pre-written letter to the Premier or modify it to share their own experiences travelling the highways.
