| Abstract |
The mayor of Sudbury, Ont., is calling for highway checkpoints
that would discourage non-essential travel to northern Ontario. Mayor
Brian Bigger says he plans to reach out to the provincial government and
other local leaders about a proposed “northern bubble” to help curb the
spread of COVID-19 in the region, where case rates are lower. He says
he wants to see a plan that will "stop or stymie traffic" up Highway 69,
a major highway connecting northern and southern Ontario. Bigger says
there’s a need to insulate his city as more infectious variants of
COVID-19 are detected in southern parts of the province. He says the
idea of travel checkpoints isn’t unreasonable, pointing to a similar
initiative in Quebec last fall meant to discourage non-essential travel.
The provincial transportation ministry did not immediately respond to a
request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first
published Feb. 2, 2021. The Canadian Press |