Ontario has launched an online survey to gather valuable local input on regional transportation needs and priorities in Eastern Ontario. Feedback from the survey will be used to help develop a long-term plan that will improve the transportation network in the region
The survey, which will remain open for six weeks until September 23, 2021, seeks input on how people and businesses move across the region, transportation concerns as Ontario reopens, and how the province can support better travel and priorities for the transportation system.
This survey builds on the province’s recent actions to improve transportation across Eastern Ontario. This includes moving forward with widening Highway 17 from two lanes to four between Arnprior and Renfrew, providing up to $1.2 billion for Stage 2 of the Ottawa LRT, extending the Community Transportation Grant Program funding for two more years in 10 Eastern Ontario communities and more.
The Eastern Ontario plan area covers approximately 44,000 km2, stretching from the District of Muskoka and the County of Hastings in the west, south to Prince Edward County, east to the United Counties of Prescott & Russell, and north to the County of Renfrew. In addition to the District of Muskoka, the County of Haliburton is also included in the plan area. This region is home to almost two million people and nearly one million jobs.
Ontario is developing regional plans that will help build a better transportation system across the province. In June 2021, Ontario released a discussion paper for public feedback that will inform the province’s first transportation plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. In January 2020, Ontario released Connecting the Southwest: A Draft Transportation Plan for Southwestern Ontario. In December 2020, the province released Connecting the North: A Draft Transportation Plan for Northern Ontario, which is also available in three Indigenous languages: Cree, Oji-Cree, and Ojibway
