This trucking association is calling City of Thunder Bay's designated route a major 'trade barrier'

The Ontario Trucking Association is calling on the province to intervene after Thunder Bay city council approved a new truck route bylaw that will restrict most transport trucks from using Dawson Road and Highway 102.

Council passed Bylaw 211-2025 on June 23 to take effect Oct. 1, 2025. Under the new rules, most heavy trucks will be restricted to Highways 61 and 11/17, the Harbour Expressway, Main Street, and Island Drive, unless making a delivery or pickup, or performing another service, in Thunder Bay. Enforcement will fall to the Thunder Bay Police Service.

The OTA warns the change will have unintended consequences, especially for Canada's supply chain.

"Let's call it $60 million a day of trade, primarily inter-provincial trade, that uses Highway 102. It's been a traditional bypass of the city for a long, long time," said Geoffrey Wood, senior vice-president of policy at the OTA. 

Wood said the detour will force about 1,300 trucks per day onto Highway 17, adding 7.6 million kilometres of annual truck travel, consuming an additional 3 million litres of diesel and generating nearly 8,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

"The goal from our perspective is to address truck safety everywhere. I think that's critical. We feel this isn't the way to do it," he said.

The OTA projects the added volume could result in five to six additional tractor-trailer collisions per year on Highway 17, which has more traffic signals and tighter intersections than Highway 102. Wood said implementing the bylaw in early October is especially concerning, as winter driving conditions typically begin around that time.

In a letter to Premier Doug Ford and several cabinet ministers, the OTA urged the province to explore whether the bylaw can be overturned or revised. 

The association has proposed alternative safety measures, including 24/7 operation of truck inspection stations, automated speed enforcement and joint enforcement efforts involving provincial, municipal and federal agencies.

7:19Designated truck route bylaw back before Thunder Bay city council

Thunder Bay City Council is once again considering a bylaw that would limit heavy trucks to specific roadways, but surrounding townships are worried about the implications of increased truck traffic through their communities. We'll hear some of those concerns from Conmee Mayor Sheila Maxwell.

"We don't feel the enactment of this bylaw is the right way to address all the truck safety issues. And we do feel that it will add layers to inter-provincial trade at a time when we are trying to remove them and make our supply chain and our trucking industry as efficient as possible," Wood said.

The OTA says the bylaw may also reduce truck drivers' access to essential services in Thunder Bay, including grocery stores, rest stops and hotel parking.

"All of which are essential to the operation of the vehicles and critical for them to get the needed rest they're required every day for their hours of service," said Wood.

The bylaw has faced opposition from surrounding townships and municipalities. Conmee and Oliver Paipoonge, for example, have said the bylaw would double the number of heavy trucks travelling through their communities.

City of Thunder Bay's Response

Kayla Dixon, Thunder Bay's commissioner of infrastructure and operations, defended the bylaw, saying it's based on years of public input.

"The city recommended the designated truck route to City Council specifically to address concerns of the residents around noise, safety, vibration impacts to houses along Arthur Street and Dawson Road," she said.

Dixon said a city-commissioned traffic assessment found that shifting heavy truck traffic onto the Trans-Canada Highway would reduce serious collisions overall, even if there's a projected increase on Highway 11/17.

"We did an engineering assessment of existing and proposed conditions with implementation of the designated truck route and found that serious collisions actually are reduced when that is implemented.  As the article from OTA implied, there is a projected increase of collisions on Highway 11/17 due to this, but there's also an even greater reduction of collisions on the existing route," she explained. "I can't see this 15-minute delay in truck traffic across the country really being a major impact on inter-provincial trade."

She added Highway 11/17 is better suited for heavy trucks, with fewer conflict points, wider lanes and improved turning radius.

The OTA says it is asking the province to consider its economic and safety implications before the bylaw comes into effect.

Wood said, "It's a democratic process. Eight councillors voted in favour, five against. From our perspective, truck safety anywhere is critical. Community safety is critical in northern Ontario, and in particular, Thunder Bay. So our focus is on improving truck safety."