“The government has failed the North again.”

That’s the message from Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin after his latest attempt to improve safety on Highways 11 and 17 was defeated in the Ontario legislature.

Bourgouin introduced Bill 49, the Northern Highway 11 and 17 safety act 2025 in June.

“This bill is not about political stripes,” Bourgouin said in a statement issued on Nov. 3.

“It’s about protecting the safety of northern families and communities … Once again, they have failed the North by turning the safety of Northerners into a political issue.”

Bourgouin first introduced the bill at Queen’s Park, joined by co-sponsors Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois, Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof, Sudbury MPP Jamie West, and Nipigon Mayor Suzanne Kukko. Together, t

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