NDP MPP John Vanthof secures a win for Northern Ontario as province agrees to declare Highways 11 and 17 as roads of national significance

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP MPP John Vanthof (Timiskaming – Cochrane) and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food, Agribusiness, and Rural Affairs, passed his motion to declare Highways 11 and 17 as roads of national significance to keep Northerners safe with unanimous support in the Legislature.

This marks a hard-fought victory for NDP’s Northern MPPs, who recently embarked on a 10-day tour along Highways 11 and 17 to highlight safety concerns:

“This is a hard-fought win for Northern communities who have long been asking for the safety they deserve,” said Vanthof. “Highways 11 and 17 are lifelines for people, goods, and emergency services, yet they’ve been underfunded and overlooked for far too long.

“Declaring them roads of national significance is a critical step toward securing the investments needed to improve safety, reliability, and economic opportunity across the North.

“New Democrats have been clear: Northerners shouldn’t have to fight this hard for basic infrastructure. We are very happy that the government has decided to support this motion that will save lives for generations to come, and we will continue to fight to make sure that the province lives up to its responsibilities to keep our highways safe.”