WHEREAS official statistics from the Government of Ontario confirm that rural roads are inherently more dangerous than other roads;
AND WHEREAS, despite only having 17% of the population, 55% of the road fatalities occur on rural roads;
AND WHEREAS, rural, northern, and remote municipalities are fiscally strained by maintaining extensive road networks on a smaller tax base;
AND WHEREAS, preventing crashes reduces the burden on Ontario's already strained rural strained health care system;
AND WHEREAS, roadway collisions and associated lawsuits are significant factors in runaway municipal insurance premiums. Preventing crashes can have a significant impact in improving municipal risk profiles;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the County of Middlesex requests that the Government of Ontario take action to implement the rural road safety program that Good Roads has committed to lead. It will allow Ontario's rural municipalities to make the critical investments needed to reduce the high number of people being killed and seriously injured on Ontario's rural roads; and
FURTHER THAT a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Premier Doug Ford, Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, Hon. King Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs, Hon. Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response and Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health, and Good Roads; and
FURTHER THAT this resolution be circulated to all municipalities in Ontario requesting their support.