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‘Why does this Premier think it’s okay to short the north every time?’
A pair of northern Ontario MPPs pressed Premier Doug Ford this week on why he diverted millions of dollars from highway infrastructure in the north to fund multi-billion dollar roads in the south, like the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413 .
The province’s auditor general found that $158 million earmarked for northern highway projects was redirected to work in southern Ontario.
Read the report here.
NDP MPPs Michael Mantha (Algoma–Manitoulin) and Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay–Superior North) charged that “Ford’s continued neglect of the north is having a negative impact on northerners.”
“Highway 17 is critical to life in Algoma-Manitoulin,” Mantha said Tuesday during Question Period. “It connects residents to essential services, brings goods to market, drives tourism and connects Ontario to Western Canada. Why does this Premier think it’s okay to short the north every time? It only adds insult to injury that Mr. Ford is scrapping important infrastructure projects in the north to build some multi-billion dollar roads for his friends.”
See: $158M diverted from northern road projects to southern Ontario, AG finds
“Shortchanging in the north has serious consequences,” Vaugeois said. “Highways 11 and 17 merge just outside of Nipigon and both highways were closed for 36 hours last week, cutting off all traffic, including thousands of trucks, from crossing into Canada.”
Both Mantha and Vaugeoi called on Ford to stop neglecting the north and return the funds he took from northern highways.
BayToday reached out to the Nipissing MPP seeking clarification on the money shift. In his response, he did not directly address the $158mo loss if it were to be replaced.
“Our government is investing more than $600 million to expand and repair northern roads and bridges, which will support more than 4,240 jobs in Northern Ontario,” Fedeli said in an emailed response. “All the projects referred to by the Auditor General in his report are in various stages of work but progressing.
“On June 2nd, 2022, the people of Ontario became clear. They re-elected a government with a mandate to build infrastructure, which is exactly what our government is doing.”
Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk conducted a value-for-money audit of highway planning and management and found that the Ford government re-prioritized four highway projects, deemed to have a lower priority ranking, to six projects already approved for funding.
Two of the postponed projects are in northwestern Ontario, east of Thunder Bay, involving two stretches of Highway 11/17 widening between the city and Nipigon.
One of the four projects advanced is the expansion of Highway 11/17 between the Kenora and Manitoba border, which government caucus members — including Kenora-Rainy River Conservative MPP Greg Rickford — have signaled as a priority. The auditor general’s report said that was viewed as a “medium-priority” project by the ministry.
Transport Minister Caroline Mulroney said in a statement.
During Question Period in Queens Park earlier this week, MPP Kevin Holland (PC, Thunder Bay-Atikokan) discussed highway safety.
“Over the past year we have seen an alarming increase in fatal collisions on our roads, especially in the north,” he said. Injuries and fatalities are more likely to occur on a northern highway compared to a highway in southern Ontario.”
Holland asked Transport Minister Caroline Mulroney about the government’s plans to improve highway safety in the north.
In his response, Mulroney said the government has requested proposals for a two-plus-one highway project on Highway 11 in the North Bay area.
In files from Clint Fleury
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