The HWY 28 Mayors Coalition is making progress on creating a safer road for residents and visitors.
Last year, North Kawartha Mayor, Carolyn Amyotte formed the HWY 28 Mayors Coalition in the hopes of reducing the number of collisions and fatalities along the dangerous roadway.
Amyotte told the Herald, “Last summer the collisions, accidents and tragically several fatalities that occurred on Highway 28 beyond our township borders made it clear that North Kawartha cannot address the issue of safety on highway 28 alone.”
The Coalition is made up of the mayors of the communities along HWY 28 who came together to advocate for greater safety on the Provincial Highway. These communities include: Otonabee South Monaghan, Douro-Dummer, Selwyn, Trent Lakes, North Kawartha, Highlands East, Faraday, Bancroft & Addington Highlands.
Amyotte said that these townships all passed resolutions endorsing their participation in the Mayors Coalition and have sent a joint letter to the Minister of Transportation requesting a meeting. She has also been contacted by other municipalities across the province looking to implement Community Safety Zones and looking for advice on advocating for greater safety on the provincial roads that travel through their towns.
Over the last several years, North Kawartha Township has been very active in advocating for a safer HWY 28. The township has also been successful in implementing community safety zones and gathering significant data and traffic volumes on the highway for the past four years.
According to the OPP, for the stretch of HWY 28 from HWY 7 all the way to their border, in 2024 they had 109 collisions reported. This includes any that the OPP would have attended as well as any that would have been self-reported at the OPP Collision Reporting Centre. For the same stretch of road in 2025, they have had 42 collisions reported with six of them being in June of this year.
So far the Coalition has been successful in communicating with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
Amyotte explained, “We were granted a delegation with Minister Sarkaria’s (Minister of Transportation of Ontario) Parliamentary Assistant Rick Bresee at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference this past January. Rick is also the MPP for Hastings, Lennox and Addington so he is already familiar with Highway 28 as the northern section of it, is located in his riding. I also spoke at length with MTO staff to further discuss the issues and our requests, specifically: A safety audit, better communication and consultation with all Highway 28 municipalities and implementing a targeted public awareness and education program to promote greater safety for all road users.”
She said that the MTO has agreed to do a comprehensive safety review of HWY 28, not just on the high collision areas, but also where the HWY bisects settlement areas, the entrances to the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and more.
“We also want them to recognize and consider the demographic changes and growth in our region, the expansion of feeder highways, the increased seasonal volume of traffic coupled with various road users from farm equipment in the south to ATVs in the north and the impact to local infrastructure and municipal operations when accidents do occur such as our volunteer firefighters as first responders, detouring highway traffic on municipal roads.”
Amyotte received notice from the MTO Regional Relations Specialist late last week that Operational Performance Reviews are now underway for HWY 28 and are expected to be completed by the end of September, with an update for the Mayors Coalition in the late fall.
“This Coalition was formed because as local elected officials we all bear the brunt of the public outcry whenever there is anything affecting travel along Highway 28- be it accidents, maintenance, repairs and the resulting delays and detours. The public doesn’t care that the roadway isn’t technically under our jurisdiction. They just want us to deal with it. So that is the purpose of the Coalition- to engage with the MTO in order to deal with the challenges of Highway 28.”
While the MTO works on their end, she said drivers can also do their part to improve the safety on the roads by being aware and driving with care.
“The number one cause of accidents excluding wildlife strikes is irresponsible driver behaviour. Speeding, distracted driving, unsafe passing/lane changes, not driving for the conditions, impaired driving. Everyone needs to make safe and responsible driving choices. Also residents can reach out to their local MPPs to express their concerns about Highway 28. It doesn’t just have to be the MPPs with Highway 28 in their ridings. Our seasonal residents can also reach out to their home MPPs and make them aware of the issue. The more wheels that are squeaking, the more grease we’ll get, so to speak.”
To reach out to your local MPP, visit their website for current contact information.
