TORONTO, Ont. — The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has expressed its support for efforts to reduce red tape and streamline regulations to make the movement of goods throughout the supply chain more effective.

President Stephen Laskowski offered OTA’s support during an appearance this week before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs to discuss Bill 215, Main Street Recovery Act 2020.

It is an initiative of Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, associate minister of small business and red tape reduction.

“Bill 215 is yet another example of Sarkaria’s commitment toward delivering regulatory adjustments that will make this province more competitive by introducing a measure that will allow the supply chain, servicing the City of Toronto, to strongly consider off-peak delivery,” said Laskowski. 

He said the measure could divert commercial traffic servicing Toronto businesses to hours when roads are less congested and commuter traffic is lighter.

In turn, this could help reduce transit times, greenhouse gas emissions and the probability of collisions involving commercial vehicles, Laskowski said.

He also cited two off-peak delivery pilots in Ontario that produced positive results and saw a noticeable decrease in average trip times for trucks: A six-week program during the 2015 PanAm Games covering 40 municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area, and a six-month Peel Region pilot in 2019.

Laskowski said the approval of the bill will allow the supply chain to explore all the benefits and opportunities for off-peak delivery within Toronto.

He praised the government for its support for the trucking sector throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

 “Bill 215 is yet another example of this leadership and support.”