A motion headed to city council in North Bay this week is calling for the province to take concrete steps to improve safety on highways 11 and 17. The motion points to the fact that 10 people have been killed on northern highways in 2026, the most recent on March 7 near Smooth Rock Falls. That crash involved “four tractor-trailers and a passenger vehicle, result(ing) in the death of a Kapuskasing resident,” the motion said. “Northern Ontario continues to experience a troubling number of serious collisions and highway closures each year.” Get a move on The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities has already called on the province “to urgently accelerate the implementation of the recommendations contained within the northern Ontario transportation task force final report.” Steps include adding more four-lane sections and 2+1 highway models on both highways, as well as working with communities located along the highways to “modernize this critical national transportation corridor.” North Bay deputy mayor Maggie Horsfield said the province needs to act sooner rather than later. “When you have accidents happening that are shutting down the highways for hours or days, you have people dying, something needs to be done,” Horsfield said. “We do wish a lot of these things (would) happen quicker. And I recognize that there’s a lot of work that takes place behind the scenes to make things happen. But this isn’t something new.” The province should also formally update municipalities on progress on implementing the recommendations and updated timelines for when work will be done. The motion was moved by Coun. Maggie Horsfield and seconded by Coun. Lana Mitchell. RELATED STORIES:
