It is refreshing to see Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak show he appreciates the need to complete the four-laning of Highway 69 to Sudbury from Parry Sound, but there are obstacles that may yet delay the planned 2017 date for completion of the project.
Sudburians have long understood the importance of widening the highway for safety and economic reasons. There have been too many tragic tales told in these pages to ignore. And with the pending development of the massive Ring of Fire chromite deposit in Northern Ontario and construction of a chromite smelter near Capreol, the highway will be a vital corridor.
Hudak has now acknowledged highways 69 and 11 as "essential arteries that are going to pump new jobs, more investment and more tourists into Northern Ontario." While not a commitment to finish the job by 2017 as both the Liberals and NDP vow during the last election, it is stronger language that we saw during the election campaign, when the best the Tories could do was say the highway will be reviewed, along with many other projects.
Hudak said at the time he would consider "the best bang for the buck" in approving projects, looking at commuting and drive times. Under those criteria, highways in Northern Ontario would never be completed. Southern Ontario highways are always going to offer better payoffs for improvements.
"Bang for the buck," would have doomed Highway 69 improvements.
But transport in the North isn't just a way to get around; our roads are our lifelines. In southern Ontario, detours for road closures, either for construction or accidents, can be navigated with reasonable delays. But close Highway 69 at certain locations and the delay can be substantial, with traffic rerouted to roads that have only one lane in each direction.
Northerners have been wary of the Tories' position on widening the highway because there is no political gain. The Tories only have two MPPS in Northern Ontario -- Vic Fedeli in Nipissing and Norm Miller in Parry Sound-Muskoka (which is hardly the North). The Liberals have four MPPs and the NDP has five. It is indeed cynical to make these numbers considerations, but Ontarians have good reason to be cynical about politics in the current climate.
However, the highway could still face delays if more environmental problems crop up. It was delayed for a few months after a 2010 court ruling decided that entire projects, rather than sections as they're constructed, must undergo an environmental assessment. That issue was overcome, but negotiations with First Nations are still an issue. Talks with the Shawanaga First Nation north of Parry Sound have ground to a halt, but newly re-elected Chief Wayne Pamajewon has indicated he would like to restart talks. Such negotiations can be difficult, and Pamajewon has said he wants any deal to include compensation for a highway that was built on First Nations land back in the 1930s for which no benefits were offered.
But the province and the federal government --both contribute to the financing the project -- have so far been successful at addressing such issues. A stretch of about 20 kilometres is now under construction, which will leave only about 80 or so kilometres to go. Slowing construction would leave nasty bottlenecks.
Still, Hudak's awakening to "essential" nature of Highway 69 is a welcome development that can only help ensure the project's completion.
brian.macleod@sunmedia.ca