New modern facilities will create jobs and contribute to road safety

TORONTO - The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has signed an interim agreement with its preferred proponent Host Kilmer Service Centres Inc. (HKSC), authorizing the start of construction on seven of the sites in early November 2009.    

Local economies will be boosted by the redevelopment of the service centres.  Approximately 350 construction workers will be on all the sites during construction.  Once complete, each service centre will employ approximately 100 to 150 people. In total, up to 2,500 people will be employed across the service centre system. 

“The first of our modern new highway service centres are scheduled to be open for motorists in less than a year. Work will start next month at the seven centres where the old leases expired first,” said Transportation Minister Jim Bradley. “These new service centres will contribute to road safety, support tourism and create thousands of jobs.”

MTO and HKSC will issue regular notices to inform motorists of closures, planned interim services and new service centre openings, as other service centres are prepared for renewal.   

Phase One includes: 

  • Bainsville (westbound), near the Quebec/Ontario border
  • Tilbury South (eastbound) between Windsor and Chatham Kent  
  • Tilbury North (westbound) west of Chatham-Kent 
  • West Lorne (westbound) west of London 
  • Trenton North (westbound) west of Belleville 
  • Dutton (eastbound) east of Chatham-Kent 
  • Morrisburg (eastbound) east of Prescott 

Starting in early November, the old service centre buildings will be demolished and excavation, foundations and structural steel work will begin, subject to environmental approvals. 

The first seven service centres will reopen with fuel, washrooms, parking and a convenience store in July 2010 and become fully operational in September 2010.  The new centres will offer quick service dining, coffee, convenience retail, enhanced truck facilities, tourism information, and state-of-the-art washrooms that are fully accessible to families and disabled individuals.

“We appreciate the patience motorists have shown as we redevelop these sites,” Bradley said. 

Designed with environmentally responsible and sustainable features, the new service centres will be constructed to LEED Silver (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards - a respected green building rating system. 

For the last several months, the province and HKSC have been working to complete site planning and design to prepare for construction.  Activities included environmental planning with public participation, investigating geo-technical and topographical site conditions; and completing the design of the service centres. 

The province expects its investment in the new service centres to be fully recovered in payments from the leaseholder over the duration of the lease, under terms of a contract to be finalized by the end of 2009.

Infrastructure Ontario has been managing the competitive procurement of a new operator on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown Corporation dedicated to the renewal of the province's hospitals, courthouses and other essential public assets. 

For more information about this project, please visit:  

Contacts: 

Bob Nichols
Ministry of Transportation 
416-327-1158 

Paulette den Elzen 
Infrastructure Ontario 
416-327-5764