The company that has been plowing provincial roads in parts of Muskoka is going to be replaced.
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation and Carillion have mutually agreed to end their contract for the Huntsville area.
The move follows numerous complaints from the public about the work.
“This is a mutual decision between the two organizations based on what is best for the province, the travelling public, and for Carillion,” an MTO spokesperson told CTV News.
Carillion will continue to provide summer and winter road maintenance until a new provider takes over on Sept. 1, 2018. Their initial contract wasn’t due to expire until 2023.
“Retendering the contract for the Huntsville area provides the opportunity for the ministry to make enhancements to the services provided under the maintenance contract.”
Carillion said in a statement to CTV News, “We are committed to delivering maintenance services uninterrupted in the Huntsville area until the end of August 2018, and are actively preparing for the upcoming winter season.”
Carillion was fined $900,000 for failing to clear Ontario highways in 2014 and was again under investigation by the province last year.
The mayor of Bracebridge has demanded better service from Carillion in the past and isn't surprised by this outcome.
"Ironically last winter was probably the fewest number of complaints we had, but in winters prior with the tow plows, the buildup of snow was creating very unsafe icy conditions," says Mayor Graydon Smith.
Smith hopes the new contractor will understand Muskoka’s winter conditions.
