By the numbers: MTO maintenance contractors fined $3.2M in 2013

Ontario’s transportation minister says the province fined its maintenance contractors $3.2 million last year for doing their job late.

Steven Del Duca made the comment Thursday after asking his staff to determine why conditions were so slippery on the QEW and other 400-series highways during Wednesday’s snowfall in the GTA.

Here’s a breakdown of those fines courtesy of the transportation ministry.

  • Five contractors were fined a total of $3.2 million in 2013 for about 300 infractions.
  • About $1.1 million of the $3.2 million covered the GTA.

The minister stressed that those infractions were made last year.

“So the 3.2 million dollar figure refers to last winter,” he said. “As the minister of transportation who’s had this job for the last six months, my work and my team’s work has been done in terms of what’s coming up.”

According to provincial standards, salting must begin within 30 minutes of the start of a storm and plowing, when there are two centimetres of snow on the ground. Once the storm ends, pavement on major highways must be bare within eight hours.

Fines are $5,000 per vehicle and $1,000 for each 15 or 30 minutes the problem persists, depending on the offence.

Is the province liable for accidents, crashes and injuries due to conditions on Ontario roadways?

The ministry of transportation says it is up to the courts to determine liability.

“Under the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act, the Crown, represented by the Ministry of Transportation, is required to maintain provincial highways in a reasonable state of repair,” Bob Nichols said in an email.

“In case of default by the ministry in this statutory duty, the Crown is liable for damages sustained by reason of the default.”

For 2014, the ministry has been named in a handful of legal actions.

With files from Amanda Ferguson

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today