TORONTO - A northern politician is pushing for mandatory winter driving simulation training for new truck drivers in an aim to improve safety on Ontario’s highways.
Today (Dec. 3), Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin introduced a private member’s bill that would require all new Class A and D license holders to complete an additional 20 hours of truck simulation training under winter conditions.
“Our highways are our lifelines in Northern Ontario. But without proper winter driving training, these roads become even more dangerous,” Bourgouin said.
Unlike those living in southern Ontario, residents in the north have no alternative routes when a highway shuts down.
“Winter driving on these single-lane highways is dangerous for even the most experienced drivers. It is only the beginning of December, and we have already had two major snowstorms causing multiple highway closures and countless accidents,” Bourgouin said.
“The minister likes to say that we have the safest highways in North America, but I can guarantee he would not say that if he drove highways 11 and 17 in the winter.”
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Mark Andrews, a retired Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer and advocate for traffic safety, stressed the effectiveness of simulation training.
“Simulation training will introduce new drivers to a situation in a safe, controlled environment, not out on our highways,” he said.
Andrews cited alarming statistics from the OPP’s 2023 annual report.
“In the past three years, over 24,000 collisions have involved commercial motor vehicles and trucks ... 234 people died in those collisions involving commercial motor vehicles,” he said.
“On today’s highways, we have undertrained drivers experiencing winter conditions for the very first time. They’re experiencing other traffic, wildlife, sudden changes in road conditions... There’s no room for error.”
Travis McDougall, co-founder of Truckers for Safer Highways, is frustrated over the lack of comprehensive training and enforcement in Ontario.
“Mandatory winter driving training for commercial truck drivers in Ontario is critical,” he said.
“Too many drivers are entering the industry without the essential skills to navigate our harsh winter conditions. They lack the knowledge of how a truck behaves on icy roads, how to adjust their driving techniques, and the importance of recognizing their limits.”
He criticized the government for its inaction, despite years of advocacy.
“We as truck drivers used to be called and known as brothers of the highway. Now it’d be more realistic to call us survivors of the highway,” McDougall said.
“The bill introduced today is a crucial step towards improving highway safety, and we thank Guy for bringing it forward. Even more can be done, and we need the government to finally recognize how dangerous it is for drivers on our highways and take action to address it.”
Bourgouin highlighted the urgency of his proposal, noting that Quebec already uses simulation training for truck drivers.
“This is not something that doesn’t exist elsewhere in Canada,” he said. “We have drivers that are not qualified out there, and it’s scary, and people are afraid.”
With recent snowstorms already causing highway closures and fatalities, Bourgouin urged the government to prioritize action.
“People are dying on our roads. With better training, some of these tragic accidents could have been prevented,” he said.