Transportation and Works
January 25, 2008

Government Reviewing Building Site in Labrador City

Due to growth of the mining industry in the region, the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Transportation and Works, announced today that further investigation is underway to assess the appropriateness of the site for the new health centre and College of the North Atlantic campus in Labrador City.

The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) has made plans to develop a mine near the site for the Provincial Government�s new infrastructure projects and their initial assessments indicate the potential for noise and vibrations caused by blasting. Therefore, the Department of Transportation and Works is ensuring due diligence before proceeding with construction.

As a result of this new information, Minister Whalen said the Provincial Government will take the necessary steps to ensure the site is still the best location for these projects before any further work is completed.

"The Department of Transportation and Works will engage its own independent consultant to perform detailed field testing in the area and I understand IOC will do the same in the coming months to confirm the results of their preliminary assessment. In addition to field testing the potential noise impact on our proposed site, we will monitor the potential noise impact on some other alternate sites in the event that relocation of the health centre and college becomes necessary. While this testing will likely delay the start of construction, we believe it is better to identity and if necessary, resolve any potential concerns associated with the proposed site before the projects move into the construction phase," said Minister Whalen.

"We will continue to work in conjunction with IOC to identify a solution which satisfies the need for improved public infrastructure and acknowledges the importance of the mining industry to the economy of the region, and the province. The Provincial Government will be proceeding with the development of the new $60 million health centre and $18 million college as soon as the site issue has been resolved," concluded Minister Whalen.

-30-

Media contact:
David Salter
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 691-3577

davidsalter@gov.nl.ca

2008 01 25                                               9:35 a.m.

 


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement