Dear Deputy Minister, Doug Jones,

I am writing to you today regarding some Community Safety concerns in the Municipality of Kincardine and surrounding communities. 

As you know, our community is home to the World's largest operating Nuclear Power Facility which employs more than 4,200 people! These people and their families live and work in our community and their Safety is top priority! 

I am hoping to address some Traffic Safety concerns due to the influx of commuters who either live and work here, or travel here for work. During a shift change at the plant, there are a multitude of areas that could use improvements to create a better flow of traffic and making our roads safer to travel on. 

I have attached a map with details as to what improvements would be most beneficial to those travelling on Highway 21, in my opinion and heard throughout the community.

My daughter, along with over 200 students who go to Kincardine Township Tiverton Public School NEED to be prioritized as my main concern. During drop off (8:30 a.m.) and pick-up (3 p.m), this stretch of road is very dangerous to pull out onto, with cars passing at 80-100 km/hr! I would like to propose a speed reduction to at least 60 km/hr and also deemed as a community safety zone. This will allow families and buses to get our kids and staff in and out of school daily and would greatly decrease the dangers of pulling out onto a busy highway.

I would also like to propose that speed be reduced from the Northline Extension to Bruce Ave in Kincardine to help slow traffic passing both KTTPS as well as Huron Heights Public School and to go as far as the soccer fields which are located on Bruce Ave, which are also difficult to pull out of due to people travelling 80-100km/hr. 

A few years ago, my Aunt was in a terrible car accident at HWY 9 and HWY 21 where a driver ran the light and t-boned her. Thankfully she has fully recovered but I can't help but think how lucky we were, and how others were not so lucky as it is a dangerous intersection as it stands. I would like to see a change with how the traffic light functions in the way of an advanced green and with the reduced speed in this area, I truly believe this will help reduce the risk to our community and those travelling through our beautiful town.

The intersection of Hwy 21 and King St. in Tiverton is impossible to maneuver during a shift change as there is an influx of vehicles trying to cross over the roads as they do not line up which causes delays as well as people making dangerous decisions or not allowing any right of way. I think everyone would agree that this chaos could really use a set of lights (possibly with timed advanced green for Bruce Power workers to improve traffic flows in the area) so everyone can get through safely, including those trying to turn left from Hwy 21 to Bruce Road 15 who often have to wait long periods while traffic backs up behind. 

Last but not least, Highway 21 between Bruce Road 20 and Concession 2. On December 19, 2022 there was a fatal collision on this stretch of road. I have included the news link: Fatal Collision Near Tiverton Closes Highway 21 | Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre
During a shift change, many workers from Bruce Power are travelling to Port Elgin and are trying to turn left on Hwy 21. Some try to beat the backlog of cars by taking other sideroads as it is very difficult to safely pass through this area due to the 80-100 km/hr speed of traffic and often people are making risky decisions just to get home. I would love to see a set of lights at Hwy 21 and Bruce Road 20 to allow a better flow of traffic to our workforce as well as anyone else trying to get home safely. I also believe a reduction in speed to 60 km/hr would benefit this stretch of road to allow for a much safer flow of busy traffic. 

Ultimately all of these concerns are not new and you have likely heard of them before but yet, things just stay the same. While we are lucky to have such a well maintained highway at our doorstep, it is hard to ignore the unnecessary risk that our community and workforce face by travelling these roads everyday.

I would like to ask you, on behalf of my community, to please address these issues as soon as possible and take all of our concerns to heart so we can minimize the risks of injury or death. Our Safety standards in our community is top priority. Bruce Power's number one value is Safety First so let's show them that we support their Safety initiatives both at work and in our community. Be part of the solution!

Thank you, 

Morgan Swift of Tiverton, ON