TORONTO — A Northern Ontario MPP who says he's had multiple close calls on the highway between Thunder Bay and Kapuskasing has introduced a bill that would make it illegal for motorists to cross double yellow lines when passing another vehicle.
Guy Bourgouin, the NDP member for Mushkegowuk-James Bay, is calling his private member's bill Chad's Law as a tribute to a resident of his riding who suffered severe injuries in a collision on Highway 11 near Kapuskasing last year.
He narrowly escaped death when a transport truck crossed solid yellow lines to overtake another transport on a hill.
"Chad was coming, and got the end of it," Bourgouin stated Tuesday at a news conference at Queen's Park.
"After consulting with community members and police officers, I realized there was a grey zone in the law. When it comes to preventing this manoeuvre, penalties [only] come as a reaction to accidents."
He said the Highway Traffic Act currently only cautions against crossing into oncoming lanes under specific conditions, and that it's impractical to expect drivers "to account for every factor, especially unpredictable weather conditions and varying travel speeds."
Bourgouin's amendment to the Highway Traffic Act would impose a maximum fine of $400 and three demerit points for drivers caught crossing double yellow lines in any circumstances.
Other Northern MPP's, including Lise Vaugeois of Thunder Bay-Superior North, have already expressed their support for the new legislation.
Bourgouin said he's also received support from Northern Ontario municipalities, and from current and former police officers including retired OPP traffic inspector Mark Andrews.
"This law is a common sense law. Most people thought that [not] passing on two solid yellow lines to pass a vehicle was already the law in Ontario. I got a lot of citizens' emails saying they were, like me, surprised this wasn't already the law."
Private members' bills seldom receive enough support to pass through the legislature.
Bourgouin said he's met with a member of the governing Progressive Conservatives who was thinking of submitting similar legislation, and added that he hopes members other than New Democrats will support it because "really, this is a non-party bill."
He recalled that in a job he held prior to being elected, he frequently travelled from Kapuskasing to Thunder Bay, and found himself having to pull to the side of the road to avoid a serious collision.
"I came very close many times to have a head-on collision, leaving enough space so that two transports, or a car and a transport, can pass when they shouldn't be passing. This is common."
