TORONTO — The union representing Ontario’s Transportation Enforcement Officers (TEOs) is warning Premier Dalton McGuinty not to cut on-road inspections of commercial vehicles.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is firing back in response to a Ministry of Transportation “program review,” announced yesterday. According to OPSEU, the Ministry’s plan to “refocus program emphasis from a primarily on-road presence to a more balanced approach between on-road inspection and off-road audit activities” means there’ll be less enforcement of commercial vehicles in Ontario.

Union exec says highways could turn into another ‘Walkerton’

“Obviously, we support any move to increase the number of audits of trucking firms the Ministry conducts each year,” said John O’Brien, northwestern regional vice-president of OPSEU in a press release. “However, with 70 unfilled vacancies for TEOs across the province, any further reductions pose a serious threat to road user safety. Ontario needs more roadside inspections and highway patrols to catch unsafe trucks, not fewer.”

Roadside inspections play a central role in the audit process, O’Brien said. “Inspections catch violations that audits can’t. They are our main method of policing out-of-province trucking firms, catching unregistered vehicles, and identifying companies that need to be audited,” he adds.

Joe Daniel, president of OPSEU local 506, says the plan could turn into “another Walkerton.”

He says that the Liberal government has already moved enforcement to the back seat, and worries that the new program will lead to a “watered-down” version of what existed in the past. Daniel claims that during at least one civic holiday this past summer, OPP Auxiliary officers were seen performing inspections on commercial motor vehicles.

“If you or your family members use Ontario highways, would you like to see untrained police officers and auxiliary police doing roadside inspections based on (Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance criteria?” he asks rhetorically. “If this is a new trend, the industry should be concerned about the quality of inspections while road users should be mindful that their safety is being compromised.”