Report From Parliament Hill

Eric Melillo, MP, Kenora—Kiiwetinoong

Dear Constituents

This week, I used my time in Parliament to speak once again on the state of the Trans-Canada Highway in our region. The highway remains our only east-west corridor across Canada, and it serves as a critical route for transporting the goods our country needs. But for too many families in northwestern Ontario, Highways 11 and 17 are known for the frequency of serious, often fatal, collisions.
For years, local municipal leaders, First Nations, businesses, and families have repeatedly raised concerns about highway safety. Last winter, the highway saw five collisions and eight deaths in just a ten-day period — nearly one fatality per day. The solution to this problem is simple: the highway must be improved.
Twinning the Trans-Canada Highway is not just a question of improving safety. It is also an economic necessity. The highway carries over 2,000 trucks each day and moves $125 million in goods. Further, when the highway is delayed just thirty minutes, it costs our economy nearly $50,000. If a road closure lasts six hours, it could cost our economy nearly a quarter of a million dollars in delayed arrivals of goods and services. With opportunities in mining, forestry, and nuclear bringing more traffic to Ontario’s north, this impact will only become greater.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberals often speak of protecting Canada’s economic security, and putting shovels in the ground for nation-building projects. However, actions speak louder than words — no new pipelines have been approved; mines are not being permitted, and our national highway continues to be ignored. Canada relies on strong east-west connections to move our resources from sea to sea, so a safe and modernised highway is critical. In improving this corridor, it will also reduce our dependence on north-south routes with the United States and strengthen our sovereignty.
As the provincial government continues to prioritise the Trans-Canada Highway, Prime Minister Carney needs to meet them at the table. I will continue to push the federal government, alongside my northern Ontario Conservative colleagues, to ensure that our highways are safe and efficient.
Working for You
If you’re visiting Ottawa and would like to take a tour of Parliament, please get in touch. My office would be happy to help you reserve tour tickets. As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, please call me at 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or 807-468-2170 (Kenora) or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Eric Melillo
Member of Parliament
Kenora—Kiiwetinoong