While the Trucking Industry is in Crisis…

What are doing Minister Julie Boulet in Quebec and Minister Jim Bradley in Ontario to help the trucking industry?

One is passing a bill to mandate speed limiters on all heavy trucks, for safety and reduction of GHG’s, while the other one is announcing that 60M$ of our tax money is granted for intermodal transportation of goods in an effort to also reduce GHG’s and truck traffic on the roads.

Mandatory speed limiters, as described in Bill 41 proposed by Minister Bradley, may have some benefits for carriers based in Ontario by limiting the competition and putting another regulation on carriers using the roadways of the province to get elsewhere. (See link to the Bill). This doesn’t help to get a relief from the cost of fuel. http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_business.do?Busin
essType=Bill&BillID=1959&locale=en&CommID=7348.

Across the provincial line, Minister Boulet will, with funds for grants,favour projects from promoters to develop inter or multimodal structures for the transportation of goods helped by Minister Beauchamps in order to reduce the 38% of gases made by the transport of goods. This either doesn’t help to get a fare rate with the rising costs of operations.

With the idling economy, factories closing almost weekly and the limited growth of the population, soon we won’t be carrying anything and we won’t be responsible of 38% of the GHG’s anyways.

I have a few ideas for the Ministers

1- We could make the world biggest network of canals to remote areas of the province and attract new tourism.
2- Ask Canada Post to replace motorised mail distribution in rural areas by pigeons. This may not reduce a lot of GHG but would give some relief to statues and spread out of the squares and parks the droppings.
3- Transform bike paths that are on old railroad tracks in railroad tracks to also help the remote areas and put people back on the trains like in the past.

Can we hope for some help from our governments to pass through this crisis with these kind of announces?
Make your own opinion, mine is made already.