Transportation and Works
June 29, 2007

Government Hired Leading Expert to Provide Trans Labrador Highway Business Plan

A New Brunswick-based consulting firm was hired to develop a business plan to help the Williams Government secure federal cost-sharing for hard-surfacing of the Trans Labrador Highway because of its record of expertise, said the Honourable John Hickey, Minister of Transportation and Works.

Minister Hickey was responding today to unfounded accusations from the Opposition that the Provincial Government is favouring mainland companies when awarding contracts.

"Our government is doing its utmost to ensure we meet all the requirements outlined by the federal government to qualify for cost-sharing of projects such as surfacing the Trans Labrador Highway," said Minister Hickey. "Therefore, we felt it was necessary to secure the services of Geoplan Opus, one of Atlantic Canada�s leading experts in the development of business plans associated with federal/provincial cost-shared projects. A similar level of expertise currently does not exist here in our province."

Minister Hickey called the Opposition�s allegations hypocritical. "The Opposition should be quite familiar with Geoplan Opus; they began using them for similar federal/provincial cost-sharing projects back in 2002," said Minister Hickey. "They continue to criticize this government for awarding a contract to a Quebec company to construct a long-term health care facility in Corner Brook, even though we followed the Public Tendering Act to the letter of the law. The Opposition makes these criticisms despite the fact they awarded a $7.2 million contract to a Quebec company for road grading in Labrador in 1999. The Opposition needs to check their facts before making these feeble and desperate accusations."

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

2007 06 29                                       4:25 p.m.

 


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