Ontario's transportation minister says a new program to help truckers get tested for COVID-19, will benefit drivers heading back and forth across the Blue Water Bridge.
The pilot program allows drivers access to voluntary testing on a first come, first-served basis at a location in Kitchener, which opened July 8, and at a facility in Ayr, that's opening July 14. There is also a mobile option at select locations throughout the pilot period.
Caroline Mulroney told Blackburn News that from the beginning of the pandemic, it was clear that truckers were essential to the economy.
Mulroney said the province has been working closely with the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) on how to develop a testing program to keep truckers on the road.
"They never stopped working, continuing to make sure that Ontarians had food on their tables and goods on our shelves. They did a tremendous amount on our behalf, and so we wanted to make sure that we were taking care of them," she said. "The Blue Water Bridge has a very high volume of truck traffic every day, it's the second biggest bridge crossing, and so truck drivers are working and possibly exposing themselves to the virus, so we wanted to make sure that we were providing them with the testing that they were looking for so that we can take care of them."
Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney.
Mulroney thinks all Canadians are wondering when the border with the US will reopen to non-essential traffic.
"We follow the advice of the chief medical officer of health and all the decisions that our government takes with respect to how we manage our response to the pandemic, and so I would put that question to our health authorities who would have a better understanding of what we need to do to keep Ontarians and Canadians safe."
Every year, $1.26 trillion worth of goods is moved by trucks on Ontario’s roads.
For more information on the pilot program, click here.