The Globe and Mail published an editorial calling on governments to “upgrade the Trans-Canada at all due speed”.

THUNDER BAY — The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities are getting some high-profile support for their push to improve safety on Highways 11 and 17.

The editorial board of the Globe and Mail is calling on the Ontario and federal governments to upgrade the Trans-Canada “at all due speed.”

Its opinion was published on the heels of a joint meeting in Toronto with representatives of NOMA and FONOM, the organizations that represent municipalities in Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario respectively.

Rick Dumas, the president of NOMA and mayor of Marathon, told Newswatch he was pleasantly surprised to read the editorial when he woke up Wednesday morning — and feels it will carry a lot of weight.

“Once all the government people start reading the article, and their staffers read the article, they’ll see it is really bang-on in regards to what the messaging was from us, so we believe now we’ll get some really good traction.”

The editorial describes Highways 11 and 17 a “hazard-filled lifeline” that connects northern communities whose “requests for the provincial and federal governments to fund upgrades have been mostly ignored.”

It references recent collisions that have claimed the lives of nine people on the two highways, including three family members returning from a funeral.

It also points to “choke points” such as Nipigon where traffic frequently gets backed up when the highway is closed due to collisions and weather conditions. 

The editorial said Premier Doug Ford should focus on improving northern highways rather than building a tunnel under Highway 401, because “upgrading the Trans-Canada Highway in Northern Ontario has clear safety, economic and security benefits that will be good for northern communities, and for the country.”

It also noted Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to spend more money on defence-related infrastructure and core military needs, saying this gives Ottawa additional impetus to contribute to road improvements.

Dumas said that after NOMA and FONOM initiated a highway study several years ago, a task force came up with multiple recommendations for upgrades to the northern road network.

“What we want to do is look at the information we shared with both levels of government, and start focusing on what are some of the easy wins right now. Then, how do we get governments planning to enhance our system, whether it’s two-plus-one (lanes), twinning or a combination, and more rest stops, more inspection stations, more plow trucks on the roads, all those various things.”