A large stretch of Highway 17 between Mattawa and Petawawa reopened early Saturday after closing Friday because of poor visibility due to smoke from nearby brush fires.

The Ontario Provincial Police said smoke from that fire severely reduced visibility, making the road unsafe for driving. Nearing 9:30 p.m., OPP had closed around 130 kilometres of highway.

There was no information available as to the cause of the brush fire.

Drivers were advised to take a detour on Highways 11 and 60, essentially going the other way around Algonquin Provincial Park, to avoid the stretch of closed road.</s>A large stretch of Highway 17 between Mattawa and Petawawa was closed Friday as authorities battled a large brush fire.

The Ontario Provincial Police said smoke from that fire had severely reduced visibility, making the road unsafe for driving. Nearing 9:30 p.m., OPP had closed around 130 kilometres of highway.

There was no information available as to the cause of the brush fire.

Drivers were advised to take a detour on Highways 11 and 60, essentially going the other way around Algonquin Provincial Park, to avoid the stretch of closed road.

It was not known when the highway would re-open.</s>Smoke from a brush fire is creating visibility issues along Highway 17 near Mattawa, Ont.

The highway is closed between Mattawa and Petawawa, Ont. according to Ontario Provincial Police.

There is risk of fire hazard along the highway according to an OPP twitter account, but the severity is unknown.

Traffic is being rerouted to Highway 11 for eastbound traffic and Highway 60 for westbound traffic.

Police are not sure when the highway will reopen.</s>The Ontario Provincial Police are advising that the Trans-Canada Highway east of Mattawa has been reopened following an overnight closure.

Highway 17 had been closed around Bissett Creek because of smoke and a fire hazard. No detours were available at the time.

Forest fires throughout the Northeast region have caused significant smoke drifts and fire hazards. A large fire around Key Harbour recently sparked an evacuation of an area containing around 50 homes.</s>Forest fires near Bissett Creek have once more closed Highway 17.

Friday night the highway was closed with detours in place at Paquette Road west of Petawawa and Brent Road near Deux-Rivières.

Ministry of Transportation has not given a timeline for when the highway will re-open. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry tonight, a fire is burning north of Grant Creek in close vicinity to the highway has grown to 40 hectares. Another major fire about 10 kilometres south of Bissett Creek near the Renfrew/Nipissing border has grown to 180 hectares. Stay with the Observer for details as they develop.</s>STONECLIFFE - Officials continue to grapple with major forest fires in the northern half of Renfrew County and Algonquin Park this weekend with smoke causing the shut down of Highway 17 between Deep River and Mattawa on several occasions.

Since Wednesday, fires have burned through wooded areas in Head, Clara, Maria Township with the largest blaze consuming 180 hectares south of Christopher Robin Lake, about 12 kilometres south of Bissett Creek. Another fire covering an area of 40 hectares has been burning in close proximity to Grant's Creek Provincial Park and just west of Highway 17.

Columns of smoke forced Ontario Provincial Police to close the highway Friday as aerial operations were also being conducted to combat the conflagration. The highway reopened Saturday morning. The outlook is not promising at least for the next few days.

“These fires will continue to be active in the coming days,” said Isabelle Chenard, Ministry of Natural Resources fire information officer for North East Region.

There are also three fires in Algonquin Park, about 40 kilometres west of Petawawa. One blaze, which currently is covering seven hectares, is situated at Tarn Lake. A smaller fire, northwest of Grand Lake, has been contained to half a hectare. Another half hectare fire broke out in the park north of Thrush Lake Saturday.

Meanwhile, aerial operations have involved the deployment of helicopters and twin otter water bombers with some being staged out of the Pembroke and Area Airport in Petawawa. Chenard added that boaters using area lakes and the Ottawa River in close proximity to the fires should be aware of aircraft landing to pick up water loads. Should they hear a siren blaring, boaters and water users should move to shore while the aircraft makes its landing, she advised.

Despite the lack of rainfall and major storms, Chenard said the cause for these recent fires is suspected to be lightning. Between June 29 and July 18, there have been 239,000 lightning strikes in the province. Currently there are 65 fires in the north east region alone with 33 not yet under control. Dry conditions are also not helping.

“It's a very good environment for fires to start,” she said noting campers should consult with parks and municipalities to see if fire bans are in place. “It is hot and dry and the fire hazard is high to extreme.”

While MNR expects significant smoke to cover the Highway 17 corridor again, motorists are asked to consult the Ministry of Transportation's 511 website at: 511on.ca.</s>SUTHERLANDS RIVER, NS, July 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Commuting to work, visiting loved ones, enjoying a vacation â highways help Canadians get to where they need to go. They connect our communities and help businesses move goods to markets across the country and around the world.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a major investment of $90 million to improve safety, reduce congestion, and increase traffic capacity on the Trans-Canada Highway in northeastern Nova Scotia.

The project, led by the Government of Nova Scotia, will improve a 38-kilometre stretch of Highway 104, from Sutherlands River to Antigonish, by twinning and upgrading 28 kilometres of the highway. It will also include a new 10-kilometre, four-lane highway, to be connected to the existing roadway once completed. The Government of Nova Scotia is contributing $195 million to the project.

The project will create good, middle class jobs during construction, and accommodate future increases in traffic. The project will also connect a vital trade and transportation corridor from the New Brunswick border to Newfoundland and Labrador via the Marine Atlantic Ferry Service at North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Quotes

"Twinning and upgrading Highway 104 is about improving road safety, creating good, middle class jobs, and making it easier for people â and products â to move across the province and the country. Our government will continue to listen to communities, and make historic investments in the infrastructure they need, today and for the future."

âThe Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

"Our government is investing in Canada's economy by improving our trade and transportation corridors. We're supporting projects to more efficiently move commercial goods to market and people to their destinations, stimulate economic growth, create quality middle-class jobs, and ensure that Canada's transportation networks remain competitive and efficient." 

âThe Hon. Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport

"Transportation and distribution of goods are a vital part of our local, regional and national economies. This crucial investment will do more than just improve the movement of goods and people; it will save lives by significantly increasing the safety of all motorists on this key section of Nova Scotia highway."

âThe Hon. Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for KingsâHants

"Nova Scotians want us to improve the safety of our roads and we are committed to doing just that. Highway 104 is an essential piece of infrastructure that connects communities in our province, and Nova Scotia to the rest of the country. I'm pleased our federal partners are working with us on this project that will make the highway safer and create jobs."

âThe Hon. Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia

"Twinned highways save lives, create jobs and make our transportation system more efficient and safe for business and the travelling public. Having worked on this project from my first day in office, I am incredibly pleased to see the Highway 104 twinning receive this funding. I look forward to seeing this highway completed in the near future."

âSean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova
• This funding is provided through the National Trade Corridors Fund, which supports projects that:
• help the transportation system withstand the effects of climate change and adapt to new technologies and innovation;
• support economic activity and the physical movement of goods and people in ; and
• improve the movement of Canadian goods to markets around the world through our ports, airports, roads, railways, intermodal facilities, bridges, and border crossings.
• Provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, Indigenous groups, not-for-profit and for-profit private-sector organizations, federal Crown Corporations, Canadian Port Authorities, and National Airport System Airport Authorities are all eligible for funding under the National Trade Corridors Fund.
• As announced in and detailed in Budget 2017, the Government of is investing over the next 11 years in trade and transportation projects.
• Transportation is an important element of trade with other countries. In 2017, total international merchandise trade amounted to . continued to be top trade partner, with in trade ( exported, imported), accounting for 63.5 per cent of total Canadian trade in 2017.
• In , the Government of announced for a study that will explore viable options to address climate change impacts on the Chignecto Isthmus Trade Corridor between and . The Chignecto Isthmus is an economically important transportation corridor that carries an estimated per day in trade.
• In , the Government of reached an agreement with worth for infrastructure funding over the next ten years. This long-term support will provide unprecedented investments across four priority areas: public transit; green infrastructure; community, culture and recreation infrastructure; and northern and rural community infrastructure.

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca/</s>One female is dead following a single-vehicle collision on Highway 403 in Mississauga.

It happened in the westbound lanes of the highway near Highway 407.

Peel paramedics say one person was pronounced dead at the scene and a second person was rushed to hospital with “moderate injuries.”

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the deceased was the female driver of the vehicle.

Police have closed the westbound lanes of Highway 403 at Winston Churchill Boulevard.

Investigators are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Smoke from a brush fire reduces visibility and the OPP temporarily closes a 130-kilometre section of Ontario Highway 17 between Mattawa and Petawawa, the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the province.