Community shaken by fatal crashes as Brock seeks answers from province

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard

BROCK: Three people have died, in separate collisions, on Highway 12, in Brock Township, within four days, prompting renewed concerns about road safety and a coordinated push from local representatives for provincial action.

The back-to-back tragedies have left the community mourning and residents questioning what more can be done, to prevent further loss of life, while municipal and regional representatives are preparing to press the Ontario government, for a comprehensive safety review, increased enforcement, and improvements to the busy highway.

The latest collision happened shortly before 7 a.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 27th, near the intersection of Highway 12 and Regional Road 12, north of Sunderland.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said, the three-vehicle crash involved a dump truck pulling a pup trailer, a pickup truck, and a passenger vehicle. Two occupants of the passenger vehicle, a 30-year-old woman from Sutton and a 33-year-old man from Kawartha Lakes, died at the scene.

The driver of the dump truck and occupants of the pickup truck were transported to hospital with minor injuries.

The collision came just three days after another fatal crash, on Highway 12, north of Brock Concession Road 10, shortly before 7 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 24th.

In that collision, a 23-year-old Sunderland resident, who was the lone occupant of one of the vehicles, was pronounced dead at the scene. The drivers of the other two vehicles were taken to hospital, one with minor injuries and the other with serious, life-threatening injuries.

Both collisions resulted in lengthy highway closures, as police investigated.

The tragedies have hit close to home for residents, with some expressing heartbreak for the families involved and concern about the frequency of serious collisions along the highway.

The recent fatalities have also prompted a renewed push, among local representatives, to seek provincial action, with both township and regional officials, signalling their intention to make Highway 12 safer.

Mayor Mike Jubb, who was re-elected in the Oct. 26th municipal election, said, he intends to bring the issue to Brock Township council's first regular meeting of the new term, seeking support for a formal request to the province. Mayor Jubb noted, Highway 12 is a provincially owned and managed roadway, placing responsibility for its safety with the Ontario government.

He said, he will ask, Ward 3 Councillor-Elect, Mike Samis and, Regional Councillor-Elect, Peter Frank to submit a Notice of Motion, calling on the province to work with Durham Region on a comprehensive safety review of all provincial intersections, throughout Brock Township.

The proposed motion would also request increased enforcement along provincial highways, in the township.

"I am horrified by multiple fatal accidents [which] have occurred on Highway 12 over the last number of days. My thoughts remain with the families of these horrible accidents," Mayor Jubb said in a statement.

Councillor Frank, who will represent Brock at Durham Regional Council, said, he is determined to pursue every available avenue to improve safety along Highway 12 and other provincial roadways in the community.

He also urged local residents to contact their MPP, Laurie Scott, to share their concerns and encourage the provincial government to take action.

The involvement of residents, Coucnillor Frank indicated, will be important, to reinforce the urgency of the issue and demonstrate the strength of community concern.

Mayor Jubb elaborated, the township will also seek a deputation with the Minister of Transportation, arguing, the recent fatalities make an expedited and more thorough review necessary.

"I will definitely follow up. I am aware of a review but I believe it needs to be much more thorough and expedited, and an official motion from Council would be appropriate," Mayor Jubb added.

"I am thinking, because of these new fatalities within such a close area, they will probably expedite any review and add some parameters. We are also going to ask for a deputation with the Minister of Transportation."

The push for provincial action comes as a traffic study of a section of Highway 12, between Highway 48 and Regional Road 12, is already underway.

Outgoing Regional Councillor, Cria Pettingill said, she had been pursuing a broader review and received correspondence from MPP Laurie Scott, in the early summer, outlining the Ministry of Transportation's plans.

According to the ministry's response, a review, of the south junction of Highway 12 and Highway 48, was completed in 2022, following which, adjustments were made to the traffic signal timing. However, Councillor Pettingill said, an update on those changes was not provided to the councillor. The ministry has since indicated, the scope of the current request has expanded, to include an approximately 4.5-kilometre stretch of Highway 12, between Highway 48 and Regional Road 12.

The new study is expected to examine a range of factors, including: roadway geometry, signage, traffic volumes, collision history, vehicle speeds, and pavement markings.

The ministry anticipates completing the study by early 2027, and findings are expected to be available in spring 2027. Any improvements identified through the review would be implemented as appropriate.

Councillor Pettingill said, she had shared the ministry's correspondence with council and township staff.

The anticipated timeline could become a significant point of discussion, as local representatives seek to have the province accelerate its work, in light of the recent deaths.

Beyond calls for highway improvements and increased enforcement, Mayor Jubb also acknowledged the toll, the recent incidents have taken, on emergency personnel who responded to the scenes.

"I would also like everyone to keep our first responders in our hearts and minds, as they have had to experience some significant trauma over the last few days," he said.

The OPP continues to investigate both collisions. Police have asked anyone who witnessed the Oct. 24th collision or has dash camera footage from the area, at the time, to contact Whitby OPP, at 905-668-3388 or 1-888-310-1122.