Projects of national interest should include modernizing Highways 17 and 11

Highways 11 and 17 are dangerously outdated and this is a major project begging for support. The infrastructure of the east-west corridor is critical infrastructure. Imagine the support: First Nations, local communities in northern Ontario, ambulance drivers and trucking firms.

NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa recently drove with five other MPPs from Toronto across Ontario to Manitoba on Highways 11 and 17 to prove a point about how dangerous these highways are. At least six people have died since mid-December on Highway 11, and there have five fatal collisions in the last five days on the two highways, combined.Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Opinion

BY ROSE LEMAY

March 9, 2026

OTTAWA—The Government of Canada politely says that “Canada must build critical new infrastructure at speeds not seen in generations. This includes the infrastructure that diversify our trading relationships and to become an energy superpower.” The conversation in ...

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