Businesses, Canadians step up to help truckers
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Canada’s businesses have stepped up to help those who keep the country moving.
In response to a Toronto Sun front page story about the hardships COVID-19 lockdowns are inflicting on long-haul truckers, businesses have intervened to deal with issues like closed washrooms and diners.
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It was a no-brainer Diamond International — one of western Canada’s largest heavy truck dealerships — which partnered with eateries in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Chilliwack to provide free meals from April 1-5 to those hauling goods during the coronavirus crisis.
“It’s a big issue for them right now,” Diamond International’s Angie Wight said Thursday.
She added life on the road is tough when truckers are “not finding bathrooms, not finding showers where they can get cleaned up or even having a place to eat.”
One driver she spoke to on Wednesday said it was the first time he’d eaten all day.
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On Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called out businesses for declining services or even basic needs to truckers, asking the province’s businesses to give drivers a break.
“We’re all in this together,” he told Sun columnist Brian Lilley during a press conference.
“You have to let the truckers when they stop for gas, if they stop for food, let them use the washrooms.”
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In Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney had harsh words for people who vandalized rest areas, stealing basic supplies like toilet paper, soap and hand sanitizers, forcing officials to shut them down.
“Show some basic decency and some basic consideration,” Kenney said Wednesday.
On Friday, that province’s transport ministry will introduce measures meant to make life easier for truckers in Alberta.
Dealing with their outbreak-related woes didn’t stop one Saskatchewan hotelier from lending a hand, offering free food and showers to passing truckers.
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“The trucking industry, not just during an epidemic but in general, is underappreciated,” said Jenni Wuttunee, director of sales for Holiday Inn Express in North Battleford.
“These guys are on the road, day in and day out and sleeping in their trucks, with nowhere to clean up — that’s gotta be a terrible feeling.”
Located along the Yellowhead Hwy. — the northern branch of the Trans-Canada Hwy. that stretches from Winnipeg into northern B.C. — the hotel sees an enormous amount of truck traffic.
“It was important for us to do what we can do, and let them know they’re appreciated,” Wuttunee said.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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