MP slams gov't record on roads

Kenora-Rainy River MP Sarah Campbell says the Liberal government has to pay more attention to the transportation infrastructure needs of Northern Ontario.

In a statement in the Legislature on Wednesday, Campbell said: "Ontarians were excited to hear about this government's prioritization of transportation infrastructure. Northerners, in particular, listened with keen interest as small northern communities grapple with hundreds of millions of dollars of road, bridge and other infrastructure renewal; gridlock - which in the north means closed or impassible highways without alternate routes; and the lack of public transportation both within and between many communities."

Campbell said, "we've seen a set of double standards, delayed funds, inaction and mismanagement when it comes to the very basic infrastructure in the North.

"The reality in the North is that this government promised to fund programs such as the Connecting Links and the Small Communities Funds, but has failed to deliver," she said.

"Travelling our roads in the winter is a crapshoot because of shoddy highway maintenance," Campbell alleged, noting that "the government knows this because Ontarians, MPPs and the auditor general have been saying so for years, and yet the government has still not addressed the problem.

Responding to Campbell's criticism, Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle said Friday that "as minister of Northern Development and Mines and a local MPP, I am tremendously proud of our government's work to provide safe, accessible and reliable travel solutions for Northerners.

"Certainly there are unique challenges associated with transportation infrastructure in an area as vast as Northern Ontario. That's why, since October 2003, we have committed more than $5 billion for transit, highway infrastructure, municipal roads and bridges and other municipal capital projects in Northern Ontario.

"In our 2015 budget we committed nearly $560 million in our Northern Highways Program and through our Small Communities Fund we're working with the federal government to fund $272 million in support to small communities over a 10-year," Gravelle said, noting that "our connecting links program is helping pay for up to 90 per cent of the costs to replacing bridges, rehabilitating pavement, constructing storm sewers and improving intersections in municipalities, up to $3 million per project.

"Our commitment to improve highway infrastructure in Northwestern Ontario is highlighted by the work we're doing to four-lane the highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. Right now, we have begun or completed construction on the four-laning on over 50 per cent of the 105-kilometre drive between those two communities; a section of the highway that has no alternate route.

"That work will continue, as will other key highway infrastructure projects in Northwestern Ontario," he said. "In addition, we are excited about the opportunities we're going to unlock with our $1-billion commitment to transportation infrastructure in the Ring of Fire region.

"Our government believes that a modern transportation system is the backbone of a sustainable northern economy and strong northern communities. We will continue to invest in infrastructure to build Ontario up and drive prosperity for Northerners," Gravelle added.