Roadrage
Councillor livid after work downsized
GUYSBOROUGH - Blair George isn't happy.
The Municipality of Guysborough district four councillor was livid on Monday after recently learning that about six kilometres of promised roadwork on Route 16 had been scaled back to 3.5km.
The section in question begins at the Chedabucto Volunteer Fire Department and runs easterly towards Canso.
"It's very, very disappointing for the people here and I'm very disappointed," he told The Journal.
"We're pretty upset about it. It's pretty darn sad."
George said Conservative party candidates had boasted about their ongoing and future roadwork initiatives throughout the recent election campaign.
"A week ago there was all the talk about the largest transportation program ever," George said.
"How are they going to do 2000km when they can't even do six?"
Guysborough-Sheet Harbour MLA Ronnie Chisholm said he had discussed the situation with Minister of Transportation and Works Angus MacIsaac.
"The problem that we're finding ourselves in is that the fuel costs have increased," Chisholm said. "We still have the same amount of money - I believe it's $176 million - in our capital works budget for this year. In all fairness, if you look at Route 16 we've paved six kilometres every year.
"So we've done 40km on the 16 to Canso. For it to be reduced to 3.5km for this year, it's not all that bad.
"I don't think it's the end of the world."
MacIsaac also told The Journal on Tuesday that rising fuel costs had led to the government's decision. He added, however, that the worker drain to western Canada had played a role.
"The price of liquid asphalt has increased by 30 per cent…across the province," he said.
"Also, wages have gone up because contractors are having to pay their workers more to keep them from going to Alberta. As a result, contractors are coming back (with bids) in excess of 30 per cent of our estimates.
"We've had to make some adjustments - either to reduce in scope…or have a fall call with the work to be completed next spring."
MacIsaac said all other roadwork planned for Guysborough County this summer would proceed as planned. He explained that some projects across the province that had not gone out to tender - including the Route 16 work - had been scaled down instead of projects that had already been tendered.
MacIsaac denied the government knew about the rising costs before the June 13 election was called. During that campaign, the Tories promised to pave 2000kms of the province's road network.
"You only know of the price increases after you call the tenders and you get the results back," he said, adding that he believed the government's election promise would be honoured.
"As far as we can tell it's still on track," MacIsaac said. "But we may have to look at some adjustments."
Meanwhile, Chisholm voiced his support for Keltic Petrochemicals' plan to build and fund a $50 million highway from Goldboro to Antigonish.
The highway was recently taken out of Keltic's environmental assessment report after Transportation officials sent correspondence to the company ordering it to do so if it wanted to avoid a delay in start-up of the project.
That message, however, was later quashed by MacIsaac, who said the province would maintain the highway if Keltic paid for and built it.
"It's 500 jobs for Guysborough County. We have to be committed to that…committed to the proposal to put a road through," Chisholm said.
"Having said that, a lot of discussions still have to take place. The minister is going to be meeting with the company."
