Every time Travis McDougall gets into his transport truck, he wonders whether he’ll make it home safely.
His growing concerns about highway safety, particularly in northwestern Ontario, prompted him to create Truckers for Safer Highways alongside fellow driver Jeff Orr in 2023.
Highway safety has been a major concern in the region for years, as single-lane highways surrounded by trees, rocks and water aren’t so forgiving during a wrong move behind the wheel.
“There’s no back road or way to change your direction to avoid a 12-hour closure,” said McDougall, who lives in Ayr but drives across Canada.
“It really impedes the locals and it impedes the economy when these roads are shut down for several hours because of these collisions.”
There were 21 fatal collisions on the region’s highways last year, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) North West Region, resulting in 25 deaths and 213 injuries. Of these, 13 involved tractor-trailers.
Advocates and local leaders are calling on the provincial government to make a number of changes — and with an election campaign wrapping up Thursday, the stakes are all the higher.
“We gotta expect there to be consequences for poor choices,” McDougall said. “[The] industry needs to know that enforcement officers are out there.”
Concerns with licensing, lack of enforcement
Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in Ontario receive training from private truck driving schools in the province. To receive licences, they undergo testing through DriveTest, which is operated by parent company Serco.
A recent investigation by CBC’s Marketplace explored a number of concerns with Serco, including the role of bribery and forged documents .A list of responses from Serco and involved provincial ministries can be found here.
A memo leaked to CBC’s Marketplace by an industry insider says the system for testing truck drivers in Ontario has been compromised by bribes, forged documents, and rigged testing.
McDougall said the Marketplace investigation validated concerns he’d had for years. He’s received copies of scripts given to drivers in training by truck driving schools, indicating “what they need to say to a drive test examiner in order to pass the test.”
“You’re supposed to go into these examinations with the knowledge, not because you memorized the right words,” he said.
His organization wants a public inquiry into Serco and the contract it provides to the province.
Highway 11/17 runs through the town of Nipigon. Mayor Suzanne Kukko sees the impact of collisions in that corridor first hand and wants to see CMV testing done by Ministry of Transportation (MTO) officials rather than private companies,
“They don’t really have a stake in whether or not those folks pass, right? They’re more objective,” Kukko said of the MTO.
Last March, the province opened a new $30-million CMV inspection centre in nearby Shuniah. But according to McDougall, it’s more common to see the centre closed than open.
“We can’t consider that the enforcement officers are out there enforcing the rules or regulations when they’re not there,” he said.
Truckers for Safer Highways is calling for the centre to be open at least 16 hours a day, something Kukko said she supports.
“It’s a great resource for our region and for Nipigon,” she said. “But in order to be effective, it has to be open more than it is.”
Responding to conditions, task force recommendations
She has heard concerns from seasoned plow operators about being penalized for using too much salt, even if the conditions call for it, she said.
“I think that there should be some flexibility.”
Wendy Landry served as co-chair of the Northern Ontario Transportation Task Force, which delivered 62 recommendations in January 2024 aimed at improving highway safety and transportation in the region.
Landry, mayor of Shuniah and president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA), said she met with provincial ministers last month about getting more of those recommendations adopted, some of which include:
- 2+1 highways, which are three-lane highways with a centre passing lane that changes direction every two to five kilometres.
- Four-laning highways.
- Improving CMV training, including introducing simulators to prepare drivers for all weather conditions.
- Working with the federal government to create more consistent licensing processes across the country.
- Introducing a graduated licensing system for CMV drivers.
However, she said, it’s also important to consider supporting factors that lie outside the transportation industry itself, such as hiring more OPP and specialized officers for investigations, as well as EMS staff that can quickly respond to and clean up collision scenes.
CBC News asked candidates in Thunder Bay—Superior North and Thunder Bay—Atikokan what they plan to do to improve highway safety. Responses were received from six of the eight candidates.
No matter who wins the Ontario election, McDougall said, he wants to ensure highway safety is a top priority in the next term of government.
“We need to send inspectors into the training schools making sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to do,” he said, “and then true enforcement on our highways, true enforcement; not what we have now.”
