In the 2014 election campaign, it seemed the Liberals and NDP were outdoing themselves in promising to complete the four-laning of Highway 69.
When the Liberals promised to complete it by 2017, the NDP said they could do it by 2016. In 2015, the Liberals changed their tune and said 2017 was too optimistic, setting 2021 as the soft target date.*
Energy Minister and Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault said Thursday he heard from a lot of people concerned about what was going on with the project.
"There are some people in the community concerned about what was going on," Thibeault said. "And rightfully so."
So he said he checked with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines and the Ministry of Transportation to fund out what was going on.
Thibeault says the money is still there for the four-laning project, and will stay there regardless of who wins next year's provincial election.
"It still is a fully funded program,” he said. "We've made sure that no matter what government is in place, the money for this is there and this still a commitment.
“So it still is something that we're fully committed to completing. But there are ongoing negotiations with our First Nations that will need to continue. And with that negotiation with the First Nations come federal environmental assessments."
Since the Liberals came to power in 2003, he said they have spent about $850 million to four-lane 132 kilometres. There's between 68-70 kilometres left between Sudbury and Parry Sound. But environmental assessments and agreements with First Nations must come first.
"All of those components will need to be completed to ensure we can continue to move forward on those specific segments,” Thibeault said. “But there still are other segments of the highway that can continue to move forward and those will be, at some point, announced in the future, with the goal of getting this done as quickly as possible.
“The goal has always been to try and see if we can get this done by 2021. But making sure we get it done right will be important."
Because of our geography, the highway expansion is more difficult and costly than other parts of the province. Thibeault said a 15-kilometre section announced last year cost $173 million and included 10 new bridges and two interchanges.
"This isn't just like plowing and paving, as they can do in other parts of our province, there's a lot that needs to go into that," he said. "But it is a fully funded commitment of this government. There is nothing changed on that. I'm going to continue to fight for this and to push for this as hard as I can to see it get done."
The final 70 kilometres includes five segments, and Thibeault said he's working to determining which ones can be started and which are still in negotiations.
"We in Northern Ontario understand the importance of getting this done, not only for safety but for the economic benefits,” he said. “So I want to see which (segments) we can continue to move on."
*An earlier version of this story included an incorrect timeline. That has since been corrected.
