A new campaign launched by a couple of northern Ontario MPPs aims to speed up the provincial government’s plan to finish four-laning Highway 69, south of Sudbury. Sudbury MPP Jamie West and neighbouring Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas launched the ‘Four Lanes, Zero Excuses’ campaign at Richard Lake on Thursday. The initiative demands the provincial government finish the final 68-kilometres of construction to expand the roadway to four lanes. The project originally started in the 90s and has passed through multiple governments during that time. “They want to see shovels in the ground. They want to know what is happening. As we heard today there’s people with loved ones, they’re losing loved ones,” said West. “People are afraid to drive on the road.” Family tragedy fuels call for action The two New Democrats invited Erin Lafond to speak about her family’s experience. “No family should ever have to endure the unimaginable grief and heartbreak that my family has had to live with every day since June 5,” she told the small crowd at the campaign launch. Lafond’s 28-year-old nephew, Cody Van Den Bosch, was killed last month in a head-on collision along the two-laned stretch near Henvey Inlet First Nation. Lafond explained why it was important for her to be at the campaign launch. “To prevent anybody else from having to live the same experiences that myself, and my family, has had to go through since losing Cody,” she said. “Anything we can do is very important – just to honour his memory because he was such a great person.” West and Gélinas are inviting people to share personal stories of how Highway 69 has impacted their lives, whether that’s a loss, a close call or specific concerns. The pair said they plan to share some of the stores with their colleagues at Queen’s Park. “When you hear a story from a real person who shares what has happened it has a lot of power to move politicians to do thinks,” Gélinas said. Petition, lawn signs, billboards keep pressure on The campaign includes a petition to immediately fund and tender the remaining 68 kilometres of road that still need to be four-laned. “We (want to) make it safer for people to travel, whether you’re travelling for school, for medical appointments, for work, for tourism. We want it to be safer,” Gélinas said. Premier Doug Ford has previously promised to finish the four-laning of Highway 69, even calling the two-lane portion “treacherous” and referring to ‘white-knuckle driving.’ “If a transport is off by two inches, you’re done,” Ford commented at a news conference in August 2025. “If the Premier shows up with his bulldozer… I mean I’ll get a bulldozer. I’ll take the photo. I just want this to get done. This is a top issue for so many people in our community,” West told CTV News in an interview on July 23 after the campaign launch. The ‘Four Lanes, Zero Excuses’ campaign includes lawn signs, car decals and billboards. West and Gelinas said these are ways to show community support and keep the pressure on. CTV News requested an interview from the Ministry of Transportation but was sent a statement after the deadline we had provided. “On behalf of our government, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives on Highway 69. Our thoughts remain with them during an incredibly difficult time,” said MTO Senior Communications Advisor Charlotte Carron in an email. MTO says remaining 68 kilometres ‘moving through engineering’ “For northern Ontario, Highway 69 is not just another road. It is a lifeline for families, workers, and communities, and our government understands how important it is to get this work done,” the statement read. “That is why we have already widened 84 kilometres of Highway 69 to four lanes. We also completed 14 kilometres of lanes from south of Alban to the French River area, and the remaining 68 kilometres are moving through engineering, approvals and consultation right now, as we continue to work through the many complexities of this upgrade and remains actively engaged with local First Nations and others to get this work done as quickly as possible.”
