TEMISKAMING SHORES – More rigorous testing and training of transport drivers and all new drivers is needed to help reduce the number of collisions on Northern Ontario roads.
That’s the view of Temiskaming Shores city council, which has endorsed a Timiskaming Municipal Association resolution urging the province to change the way commercial drivers are tested and certified.
The city is calling on the province to require all commercial drivers and all new drivers to undergo road testing exclusively by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO)–certified inspectors, eliminating the use of third-party private testing companies for these categories.
It also urges the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario to implement “enhanced oversight and auditing of driving schools, including mandatory performance reviews tied to student road test outcomes, and corrective actions or suspension of accreditation for schools with consistently poor results.”
The resolution also calls on the province to require drivers to demonstrate clear and comprehensive knowledge of road regulations, signage, and highway safety rules without the use of electronic devices prior to licensing.”
“Recent years incidents on Ontario highways have increased in frequency and severity, raising concerns among residents, first responders, and municipal officials,” the city’s resolution states.
“These concerns have been reinforced by investigations into commercial driver training and licensing, including findings from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario dating back to 2018.”
The resolution states there are “ongoing concerns regarding the quality, consistency, and oversight of driver training and testing, especially for commercial motor vehicle operators,” and suggest the current reliance on third-party private testing companies “raises questions regarding standardization, accountability, and public safety.”
Temiskaming Shores City Councillor Mark Wilson said he supports the resolution, and would like to see the province go even further.
“This is a good resolution I certainly support it,” he told fellow councillors during their March 17 regular meeting.
“I am involved with an organization called PTTAC, the Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada, and it’s advocating for Red Seal designation for truck driving across Canada and its making some headway,” he said. “Alberta is leading on this one and they’re very close to a Red Seal within their own province. Ontario at a recent meeting has also joined the discussion so it’s a positive move. Motions like this from across the province are important to move that initiative forward.”
