Government Reaffirms Commitment to Trans-Labrador Highway

The Honourable John Hickey, Minister of Transportation and Works and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs, today said government is moving forward with surfacing of the Trans-Labrador Highway.

Minister Hickey�s comments come in response to inaccurate statements made in a news release regarding the status of the Trans-Labrador Highway, issued yesterday by the Opposition member for the District of Cartwright L�Anse au Clair. �For the benefit of the people of Labrador I must respond to set the record straight,� said Minister Hickey. �Earlier this month, I, along with departmental officials, met with Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, after which Minister Cannon presented an offer for federal funding to surface the Trans-Labrador Highway.

�Prior to signing any contract, this government will perform due diligence to ensure it is the optimum deal for the people of the province. We remain optimistic that an agreement will be finalized next month with an expectation that hard-surfacing of the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Labrador City-Wabush will get underway next summer and construction of Phase III of the Trans-Labrador Highway will be complete in the fall of 2009.�

Minister Hickey says the comments of the Opposition member regarding the future of the Trans-Labrador Highway have no basis in fact.

�The Opposition member for the District of Cartwright L�Anse Au Clair had plenty of opportunity to address this issue during her years in government, especially as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transportation and Works, but did not. If we sign a deal today or next month work cannot begin until the summer anyway.�

-30-

Media contact:
David Salter
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 691-3577
davidsalter@gov.nl.ca

2006 11 28                                      4:40 p.m.