Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas rose at Queen's Park Wednesday afternoon to speak about ongoing concerns related to the four-laning of Highway 69.
Gélinas says that residents of Sudbury, Nickel Belt, and the surrounding communities are concerned by the signals they're getting from the Ford government as to whether or not the project will continue.
"Last week, the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce wrote to the Premier to express their concern about the Premier’s line-by-line audit and the possibility it will cancel funds already committed to finish the four-laning of Highway 69," said Gélinas.
"Highway 69 is the connective artery between southern and northern Ontario. Commuters come south, while business people and tourists come north. Unfortunately, Highway 69 remains very dangerous. It was designed at a time when the majority of commercial and industrial freight were carried by rail. In 2018, most freight is carried by tractor trailer in the name of speed and efficiency."
The Nickel Belt MPP went on to explain that when something goes wrong on the stretch of highway, it goes very wrong.
"The routine closures of Highway 69 due to collisions add hundreds of kilometers and several hours of detours, not to mention the tragic loss of life. In Nickel Belt and Sudbury, everybody knows someone who has died or had an accident on Highway 69," said Gélinas
"To prevent further loss of life, we need to make sure that the money is there to finish the four-laning of Highway 69. The sooner, the better.”
