KENORA – Today, Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, and Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry and MPP for Kenora-Rainy River, issued the following statement regarding Highway 17:

"Twinning Highway 17 between the Manitoba border and Kenora has been on the table for more than a decade, and it’s our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, that is driving it forward.

Today we signed two contracts with Indigenous partners for early works to produce the raw materials needed to build the road base and for clearing work, including tree and brush removal, within the new right of way for the first section of the Highway 17 twinning.

This milestone will position us to get shovels in the ground for this section of the highway as soon as the spring.

Our duty to consult is one we take seriously, and we will continue to work collaboratively with local Indigenous communities.

Our government has a clear vision to build Ontario, and we have a plan to do just that. In 2021-22, we are spending $641 million to expand and repair highways, roads and bridges in Northern Ontario. These targeted investments will improve road safety, create good jobs, and make life easier for people in the North."