Family and friends of a couple killed last week on a stretch of Highway 69 that’s seen previous fatal crashes are questioning why the Ontario government has yet to deliver on a long-promised expansion from two to four lanes.
Vinod and Shilpa Patel died in a collision on April 7 along the only remaining two-lane stretch of the highway near Britt in northern Ontario.
According to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), emergency crews were called to the scene around 7 a.m. ET after the couple’s car and an oncoming transport truck collided.
The pair may have hit black ice before the collision, according to family members, but those details have not been confirmed by police.
OPP said they’re still investigating.
The Patels were on their way to Toronto for a medical appointment — the final followup for Vinod, who had recently undergone brain surgery.
‘Lots of time to fix the highway’
The couple’s sons, Arsh and Yug Patel, told CBC News they’re wondering why the expansion to four lanes has yet to happen, despite historical and recent fatal collisions on the untwined stretch.
Two days after the collision resulting in the Patels’ deaths, a person died in a crash on the same two-lane highway stretch.
“This is not the first collision. This has been going on for a long time, and [the province has] had lots of time to fix the highway and make it a four-lane,” said Arsh, 22.
“The question is, are they going to fix it now or are they still going to wait for the next tragedy to happen?” added Arsh, who’s finishing a chemical biology degree at McMaster University.
Yug, 17, a Grade 11 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in Sudbury, said he doesn’t want other families to go through the same experience.
“I think this is more than enough evidence that action needs to be taken.”
Expansion project delayed many times
Roughly 68 kilometres of Highway 69 — between Henvey Inlet First Nation and Nobel — remain undivided.
The full twinning of Highway 69 was originally expected to be completed in 2017, but the project has been delayed several times over the years.
It began under a previous Liberal government following a series of fatal crashes in the early 2000s and has since been described as a priority by the current provincial government.
The remaining stretch of Highway 69 passes through reserve lands belonging to Henvey Inlet First Nation, Shawanaga First Nation and Magnetawan First Nation. Highway expansion in this section has required ongoing consultation and land negotiations between the province and the affected communities.
Those discussions have been underway for years and, in some cases, for over a decade.
“The safety of Ontario’s highways is a top priority for our government,” said Meaghan Evans, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, in an emailed statement to CBC News. “Our thoughts go out to all those impacted by these [crash] tragedies.”
Construction of the remaining twinning work will proceed once property is secured and all regulatory, environmental and consultation requirements are completed, she added.
“We continue to monitor the safety and operations of the highway as we move this critical project forward.”
‘Huge loss for the community’
Friends of Vinod and Shilpa Patel say the couple played a central role in Sudbury’s Gujarati community and were known for helping others.
“They have been raising their kids. They brought their parents here. They were very proud. They were helping the community, especially myself and my wife, when we came here,” said Mitul Trivedi, president of the Canadian Gujju Cultural Association of Northern Ontario.
The Patels started the association after immigrating to Sudbury from India around 2009 to help other newcomers adjust to life in the north.
Shilpa worked as a tax consultant, and often helped international students and newcomers. Vinod worked in information technology (IT), most recently from home for a company based in Ottawa, Trivedi said.
“It is very hard for me to express in word how I feel personally. They were hard-working individuals. They were the givers.”
Community rallies around couple’s family
Friends, neighbours and community members have rallied around the Patel family since the collision.
“It’s really nice to see the community [our parents] made. Just in the last few days, so many people have come to our house to help us with anything we needed,” Arsh said.
Yug said he’s received hundreds of messages and has been overwhelmed by the support.
At the same time, the two brothers said they’re still waiting for the completion of autopsies in Toronto before funeral arrangements can be finalized.
“I’ve been trying to make everyone around me strong because in Indian culture, we believe that for 13 days, [our parents] live in the house with us and every time we cry, it hurts them. But if we stay strong, then that makes them proud,” Yug said.
“I’m just thinking about my parents looking down on me. They wouldn’t want to leave their son here crying.”
