Commuter agrees with auditor general's report on highways

A commuter from Red Lake agrees with an auditor general's report condemning the state of Ontario's highways in the winter.

On Tuesday, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk released a 43-page report suggesting contractors who clear the highways are not providing proper service. It said cost-saving measures have resulted in a reduction in how quickly roads are salted, sanded and plowed for drivers. 

Debra Geary, who drives along Highway 125 every day, said she's noticed this too.

"The MTO vehicles were on the highway morning, noon and night," she said. "It didn't matter what time of day you were travelling, everything was well plowed, well sanded, well taken of for anyone travelling those highways."

While she said the highway remained in good condition this year, service has gradually been declining.

In 2009, the provincial government made changes to how it handled its process in awarding contracts to keep the winter roads clear. These changes gave contractors full autonomy in deciding how they would meet the ministry's standards for safe winter roads.

According to the auditor general, this change corresponded with a drop in service.

Equipment and service in decline says AG

In Thunder Bay-East district, the number of plows working was reduced from 11 to five, a reduction of 55 per cent. The number of salt and sand spreaders dropped from six to zero, and combination plow and spreaders remained consistent at 38, according to the auditor general.

Even though combination spreaders and plows save costs, they do not do the job correctly, the auditor general said. 

The report noted the time it took to clear a road down to bare pavement in 2013-14 was almost double the time it took to clear in 2009-10 for some highways.  

In 2009-10, it took an average of about 2 hours to completely clear a class one highway, in 2013-14 it took almost 5 hours, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

Other roads do not even need to be cleared at all. Class five highways may remain snow-packed, but excess snow does need to be cleared. In 2013-14 it took almost 7 hours for these roads to be clear.

Earlier this month, both Highway 11 and Highway 631 were closed due to poor road conditions.

"They may have saved money, but unfortunately, putting it out to the contractor in Northwestern Ontario, road conditions are treacherous for so many people," Geary said. "Highway 105 is our only way in and out." 

Read the report here