Ontario opened rest areas and washrooms to truckers during COVID-19
In April 2020, after drivers reported being turned away from washrooms, Ontario opened seasonal rest areas and later added truck facilities to its 511 app.
In April 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario moved to give truck drivers somewhere to stop, rest and use a washroom after many businesses limited access to their facilities.
On April 2, 2020, Health Minister Christine Elliott and Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney called on business owners to let drivers use their washrooms and facilities. The province said it was keeping all 23 ONroute travel plazas open for takeout and drive-through, with extra cleaning of washrooms, and adding portable washrooms at 32 truck inspection stations.
By April 13, 2020, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed that parking and toilets were available at:
- all 23 ONroute travel plazas
- 45 rest areas (six open year-round and 39 seasonal)
- 32 truck inspection stations
- 14 truck lay-bys
- three tourist information centres, plus several Metrolinx GO, park-and-ride and carpool lots
511 app
On April 30, 2020, Ontario launched a free Ontario 511 app that showed open rest areas and locations offering food and fuel, along with images from more than 600 highway cameras and information on construction, collisions and closures. The province also pointed drivers to an Ontario Trucking Association list of truck-friendly rest areas and restaurants on the 511 website.
The province had earlier suspended municipal noise bylaws to allow 24-hour deliveries, and extended the validity of driver's licences and CVOR certificates that expired on or after March 1, 2020.