September 24, 2026
The Honourable Doug Ford
Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building, Queen's Park
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
The Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria
Minister of Transportation
Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Toronto, ON M7A 1Z8
Re: Transportation Safety, Injury Prevention, and Health Equity Across Ontario
Dear Premier Ford and Minister Sarkaria,
At its meeting of September 24, 2026, the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health considered recent advocacy from Northern Ontario public health organizations regarding the health impacts of transportation infrastructure and roadway safety. The Board recognizes that while the transportation realities of Northern Ontario differ significantly from those of Southwestern Ontario, the broader public health concerns raised are relevant across the province.
Road traffic injuries remain a significant cause of preventable injury, disability, and death. Road traffic injuries remain a significant cause of preventable injury, disability, and death. In Canada, 1,964 people were killed and 9,261 were seriously injured in motor vehicle collisions in 2023 alone, with road fatalities reaching their highest level in a decade (Transport Canada 2023).
Transportation infrastructure influences not only road safety, but also equitable access to health care, employment, education, social services, and community participation. In many regions of Ontario, transportation networks serve as critical lifelines connecting residents to essential services and emergency care.
In Windsor-Essex County, transportation safety presents unique challenges. As Canada's busiest international commercial border crossing corridor, the region experiences substantial commercial vehicle traffic, cross-border goods movement, agricultural transportation activity, and commuter travel. Rural roads and highways throughout Essex County connect residents to health services, employment opportunities, education, and emergency response systems. Safe transportation infrastructure is therefore an important determinant of community health and well-being.
The Windsor-Essex County Board of Health supports a comprehensive and equitable approach to transportation safety investments across Ontario. We encourage the Province to recognize that the burden of transportation-related injuries and barriers to access may differ by region and population, requiring evidence-informed solutions tailored to local circumstances.
Accordingly, the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health calls upon the Government of Ontario to:
- Develop a provincial Road Safety and Health Equity Framework that examines transportation-related injury patterns and inequities across Ontario regions, including rural, northern, urban, agricultural, commercial transportation, and border communities.
- Prioritize transportation safety investments based on evidence and injury burden, including consideration of impacts on access to health care, emergency response capacity, and vulnerable populations.
- Strengthen collaboration among the Ministries of Transportation, Health, Municipal Affairs, and Public Health Ontario to better understand the public health impacts of transportation infrastructure and roadway safety.
- Support regionally appropriate road safety interventions, including infrastructure improvements, enforcement initiatives, traffic-calming measures, active transportation safety enhancements, commercial vehicle safety initiatives, and strategies that reduce serious injuries and fatalities.
- Improve provincial data sharing and surveillance capacity related to transportation injuries, collisions, emergency response, and health outcomes to support evidence-based decision-making by municipalities, public health agencies, and provincial partners.
Transportation safety is fundamentally a public health issue. Investments that reduce roadway injuries and fatalities while improving equitable access to services contribute to healthier, safer, and more resilient communities across Ontario.
Sincerely,
Joe Bachetti
Chair, Board of Health
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit