Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha says new snow-clearing standards do not address root cause of safety issues on Highways 11 and 17

Friday’s announcement from the Ministry of Transportation is a long overdue step but fails to get to the root of safety concerns on Northern highways.

“As the Official Opposition, we have had to push the government every step of the way towards getting strong safety standards on Highways 11 and 17,” said Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha. “Now the government has created a new clearing standard to avoid applying the same 8-hour clearing requirement to the Trans Canada highways as highways in the South.”

The government has reduced the target time for clearing Highways 11 and 17 from sixteen hours to twelve hours after a snowfall.

“This is absolutely a step in the right direction, but protecting Northerners should not be a partisan issue. It is only about keeping travellers safe. We want to see the government give our highways the same priority as the 400-series and ensure that the contracts for snow removal are being fulfilled,” said Mantha “anything less will not get to the root cause of the problem.”

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Mike Mantha

Michael Mantha is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2011. He's the NDP critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and critic for Northern Development and Mines. He represents the riding of Algoma—Manitoulin.

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