$30M Shuniah Inspection Station Rarely Used – MPP Vaugeois Demands Answers

Source: Lise Vaugeois

The brand-new $30 million truck inspection station in Shuniah, Ontario, has sparked growing concern. Opened in 2023, the facility is rarely operational, raising serious questions about road safety in Northern Ontario. NDP MPP for Thunder Bay–Superior North, Lise Vaugeois, is calling for transparency.

“Highway safety demands more staff at inspection stations. I won’t accept their usual answer of ‘We have the safest roads in North America.’ In the North, we know the reality. Enough is enough!” she said.

As reported by Carl Clutchey in The Chronicle Journal on April 1, 2025, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has not committed to permanently staffing the Shuniah site. The station is used only on an as-needed basis, such as during enforcement blitzes.

A local job seeker, recently laid off from a trucking company, attempted to apply for a transportation enforcement position at Shuniah. His application was rejected, even amid apparent staffing shortages. The MTO is reportedly flying inspectors into Thunder Bay to operate the station when possible.

Vaugeois is seeking a meeting with local MTO representatives, but they have declined to discuss highway safety or the Shuniah inspection station. With the Legislature resuming April 14, she vows to continue pressing the Ford government for answers.