Good Roads welcomes the letter sent by Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria and Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth George Pirie, calling on the federal government to accelerate the widening of Highways 11 and 17 and eliminate duplicative federal review processes that delay construction.

Good Roads has long advocated for urgent investment in these corridors. Earlier this year, we began making the case that Highways 11 and 17 should be treated as dual-use national security infrastructure, not simply as regional transportation priorities. Together, these highways form the only continuous east–west surface transportation corridor entirely within Canada. A single infrastructure failure on this corridor has the potential to divide the country, sever supply chains, and compromise military mobility from coast to coast. No other G7 nation faces this vulnerability.

The provincial government’s letter to Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon and Minister of National Defence David McGuinty reflects exactly the kind of leadership Good Roads has been urging. Federal investment in this corridor is not only an economic imperative, but also a national security one. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commitment to invest 1.5% of GDP in dual-use infrastructure presents a clear and credible funding pathway for Highways 11 and 17, and we encourage the federal government to pursue it.

We urge Minister MacKinnon and the federal government to respond swiftly with concrete investment commitments and a firm pledge to eliminate the regulatory duplication that stands in the way of timely construction.

Good Roads looks forward to working with the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada, and our municipal, Indigenous, and industry partners to advance this critical corridor as a national priority.