Wawa - and neighbouring communities - are calling for the Ontario government to meet with them about highway closures.
A release from the Northeast Superior Mayors Group - which represents Wawa, Chapleau, Dubreuilville, White River, Hornepayne, and Manitouwadge - says they've formally written Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, requesting a meeting to address protocols for highway closures, discuss upgrading and maintaining alternate routes to avoid isolation of communities during extreme weather, warning extended highway closures after heavy rains and flooding impact healthcare access, business, delivery of essential goods, and emergency services, placing residents at risk.
Wawa Mayor Melanie Pilon explains the group wants the province to "expedite the reopening of highways after weather events and to implement a fulsome preventative maintenance strategy to keep our highways open year-round", emphasizing "road closures in the North are no longer just a winter issue, and the safety and the well-being of our communities depend on a more proactive approach".
This comes after Wawa saw two multi-day closures of Highway 17 due to washouts in the Gargantua area in the last two weeks.