Thunder Bay council to once again consider truck route bylaw after semi-trailer crashes into backyard

Thunder Bay city councillors will make another attempt at passing a bylaw formally implementing a designated truck route in the city next year, after a close call involving a semi-trailer crashing into a family's backyard. 

The designated truck route — which would require all trucks passing through the city to use the city's expressways, keeping them off Dawson Road/Highway 102 — was approved by council in 2019.

However, the bylaw that would allow the city to enforce the route didn't pass.

"On the books, to this day, we have a designated truck route," McIntyre Ward Coun. Albert Aiello said Monday. "The truck route is is there, it's part of our plan, it's the bylaw which governs it is which didn't pass."

Aiello's ward was the scene of a collision involving a transport truck on Sunday morning.

Police said the truck was travelling down Dawson Road, when it entered the intersection at Dawson and Hilldale roads on a red light, collided with an SUV, rolled over, crashed through a fence, and came to rest in the back yard of a home.

'Driving right toward the house'

The home is owned by Tara Gauld's sister, and Gauld was there visiting at the time of the crash.

"We were sitting, we were chatting and there we heard this great big loud scraping noise," Gauld said. 

"We wondered if it was a snow plow or something," she said. "And then all of a sudden, along the fence I could see a big transport truck driving right alongside the fence ... Then the transport came right through the fence, and I was saying, 'Oh my God, Oh my God.' And it was driving right toward the house."

Gauld said she thought the truck was going to come crashing through the home, but the vehicle stopped about eight feet from the building.

I'd like to see this happen today, happen next week, but the reality is that I think the the soonest it's going to happen is probably February- Coun. Albert Aiello 

"It's a very residential neighborhood," Gauld said. "There's lots of families there that have young children that are playing in the yard."

"I think this sort of takes the whole argument around trucks on Dawson Road to the next level."

Police said while the driver of the transport and SUV only sustained minor injuries, the driver of the transport — a 24-year-old Winnipeg man — was charged with a red light violation.

Earliest route could happen is Feb., councillor says

Aiello said he was receiving calls and emails from constituents almost immediately after the crash occurred, and that it's time for the designated truck route to be implemented fully.

"There is procedure involved," he said of the bylaw. "It's very difficult to do something like this during during a budget time obviously, but we're looking at getting this back on the floor."

"We have to update the new councillors, too," Aiello said. "I'd like to see this happen today, happen next week, but the reality is that I think the the soonest it's going to happen is probably February."

In a statement to CBC News, City Manager Norm Gale said administration will bring the designated truck route bylaw back to council in the new year.

Aiello said the route is intended to keep the trucks off Dawson Road, and require them to use the Trans-Canada Highway and Thunder Bay Expressway.

However, he said, it wouldn't affect trucks that have business in the city.

"These are trans-Canada trucks ... that are going through Thunder Bay to get to another destination," he said. "Those are the trucks we're talking about, that's what the bylaw addresses.

"So if you if there's gravel trucks or quarry trucks or delivery trucks that have to go up and down Dawson Road, they will continue to do that," Aiello said. "We're talking long-hauling trucks that just take Highway 102 because it's 17 kilometres shorter."