Call for safer Northern highways being heard: FONOM

NEWS RELEASE

FONOM

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The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) commends the provincial government for recognizing the need to expand the time frame in which northern drivers can use studded tires.

Studded tire use had been permitted from October 1 to April 30, and as weather conditions in northern Ontario have demonstrated snow and ice covered surfaces can appear on northern highways before and after the prescribed dates.

Modifying the time frame to allow studded tires from September 1 to May 31 reflects a more accurate understanding of road conditions in the north.

The regulatory change applies to vehicles with an ownership address in northern Ontario, which includes the districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, and Timiskaming as well as out-of-province vehicles travelling in Ontario for less than a month.

“The province is moving in the right direction to enhance highway safety by extending the period in which northern drivers can use studded tires,” says Al Spacek, Mayor of Kapuskasing and President of FONOM. “It is being recognized that northerners often face extreme and unpredictable weather conditions and by implementing this change, driver safety will be enhanced,”

FONOM looks forward to continued efforts to address safety concerns on northern highways.

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