Ontario is creating truck parking and other amenities in an underserved area in the north of the province.

On Tuesday, August 13, the Ontario government announced it would invest more than $6 million to upgrade the Batchawana Bay Rest Area on Highway 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie. According to officials, the rest area will be expanded to “accommodate commercial vehicles and support the safe movement of people and goods throughout the region.”

The modernized facilities include newly constructed entrances and exits as well as a separate truck parking area with nine parking spaces for commercial vehicles.

While the new facility may not have a large number of parking spaces, it will benefit truckers in a section of the province that desperately needs them. According to officials, the improvements to the Batchawana Bay rest area will “provide truckers with a convenient rest stop in the middle of a 220-kilometre stretch of Highway 17 that currently has no designated trucker facilities.”

“Ontario’s truck drivers are critical to our economy. They keep our shelves stocked and transport $3 billion worth of goods on our highways every day,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s transportation minister, in a statement. “No matter where they go, these men and women should have confidence in safe and reliable rest stops.”

In addition to truck parking, the upgraded rest area will provide year-round heated washrooms for drivers. According to project plans, the washrooms will be renovated and equipped with “new fixtures, improved lighting, and upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.”

Other amenities planned for truck drivers at the renovated facility include:

• Free WiFi
• Personal charging stations for devices
• Televisions with information displays
• Surveillance cameras

Officials added that as part of the modernization work, work will also be done to secure the underground infrastructure to enable the construction of charging stations for electric vehicles in the future.

A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told Land Line that work on the rehabilitation project began in July and construction is expected to be completed “early next year.”

The upgrades are part of the province’s five-year plan to improve the rest area network across Ontario. The plan, released in December 2020, includes upgrading 14 existing rest areas, building 10 new rest areas and creating 165 truck parking spaces at four existing ONroute locations.

Ontario is not the only Canadian province working to support the trucking industry. In March, the North Surrey Truck Parking Facility opened in British Columbia. In addition to 106 parking spaces for commercial vehicles, the facility features fencing, cameras and 24-hour security to give truck drivers peace of mind when parking overnight. LL