Rural councillors crack down on road safety following deadly collision

South of Ottawa, just steps from the Rideau River, Nixon Drive weaves through farmers’ fields and forest, running parallel to River Road and offering a straight shot through Osgoode and surrounding communities.

As a teenager growing up in the area, I worked at the Red Dot Café in Osgoode, and often toured these “back roads” on my drive to and from my shifts. I was a newly licensed driver, and I remember my parents emphasizing the dangers of getting distracted, speeding, or becoming complacent while driving on these long stretches of picturesque, quiet, and seemingly harmless roadways.

It wasn’t uncommon to come across collisions here; in the winter, wind coming across the fields turned the roads to ice within minutes, and animals concealed in the ditches and trees posed unpredictable hazards. Wide farm equipment and trucks take up space on the roads, obscuring sightlines, and high speeds heighten the stakes and danger.

On Sunday, June 28, an eight-year-old girl and her mother were driving in their SUV when they collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of Nixon Drive and Dalmeny Road. 

The girl was transported to the hospital, where she died of her injuries. A six-year-old child who was riding in the pickup truck was also treated for injuries.

Nine days earlier, another collision occurred at the same intersection, sending four people to the hospital — including a child who was airlifted to hospital in serious but stable condition.

The speed limit on both Nixon Drive and Dalmeny Road is 80 kilometres per hour, as is the case on many rural roads in that area, with stop signs on Nixon where the road meets Dalmeny. 

Rural roads see a higher number of fatal collisions than any other type of road in our city; according to city data, 168 fatal and major injury collisions occurred in rural areas between 2020 and 2024. 

But for years, this specific intersection has captured the community's attention; anyone who lives in the area knows the danger, and many have been advocating relentlessly for action.