TORONTO — Ontario’s 23 service centers are well on their way to getting facelifts. Maybe some cosmetic enlargements too.

While those design details are still being worked out, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Ontario recently unveiled the short list of four companies who are vying to design, build, finance, maintain and operate the new facilities across Highways 400 and 401.

“I am glad this project is moving forward. The new operator will renovate these centers, with modern amenities to create a positive reflection of Ontario,” said Transportation Minister Jim Bradley.

The short-listed bidders include:

Owner-ops are looking forward to Ontario’s
new service centers being more ‘trucker friendly.’

Areas (Anonimous Society) S.A., which brings together Áreas S.A., Carillion Canada Inc., and RBC Capital Markets.

— Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and Trinity Development Group.

— Host Kilmer Services Centres Inc., which includes Host International of Canada Ltd., Kilmer Van Nostrand Co., Clough, Harbour & Associates LLP, Cubellis Inc, and Forum Leasehold Partners.

— and Morguard Service Centres SPV, which is made up of Morguard Investments Limited and National Bank Financial.

The new operator will be required to keep the facilities open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. Also, the stations will provide travelers a place to park and rest, buy fuel and food, and use public telephones, washrooms, and picnic areas.

As part of the proposals, bidders will need to demonstrate a commitment to road safety and will be asked to optimize the use of service area lands and recommend innovative services to better serve the traveling public and commercial truckers.

Owner-Operator’s Business association of Canada Executive Director Joanne Ritchie — whose group has been advocating enhanced facilities, as well as additional truckstop locations in remote areas of the province — welcomed the news that the project is progressing.

She says she’s looking forward to many of the outdated facilities being turned into 24/7 “world-class” travel centers providing travelers and tourists with safe places to rest, eat, and re-fuel.”

She says OBAC members are in the process of putting forward ideas on how to make a service centre more “trucker friendly.”

However, while truckers and another drivers will see improved services with this project, there’s no guarantees the revamped sites will result in too many more truck parking sports since there’s a limit to the land that’s available with existing sites.

Still, Ritchie said this recent announcement is at least “a step forward” in the right direction.