Yes Babjack and the feds have also been delaying funding of the 4 laning of hwy 69 from Parry Sound to Sudbury. Following is a letter I sent recently to all provincial parties in the run up to the election.
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Open Letter to the Leaders/Candidates of All Provincial Parties
In consideration of the impending Provincial election, I am writing to you to express my concerns regarding an issue of importance to the economic development of Sudbury and Northern Ontario. My vote will be somewhat dependent upon the stance that your party will take toward this and other issues related to the North.
The immediate issue that is concerning me is the 4 laneing of highway 69 from Sudbury to Parry Sound.
Although progress has been made immediately south of Sudbury, it is becoming clear that there is not much money currently being spent to complete this project to Parry Sound. The priority appears to be off of this project now that the stretch from Sudbury to Burwash has been completed. The stretch from Burwash to Killarney is proceeding but there is little to no evidence that any other work is being planned.
Specifically, I see no engineering work in progress immediately north of Parry Sound and no work on the bridges over the Murdock, French, Pickerel or Key rivers (with the exception of maintenance work on the existing bridge at Key river). There is also no evidence of any other work being planned or performed anywhere on the stretch from Killarney to Parry Sound including the sections that I have mentioned.
The current Liberal government has made promises of continued funding for this project with a stated completion date of 2017. Clearly these promises are not going to be met unless there is an immediate priority and budgeting placed on this project.
This project is an important initiative for the north. Not only will it improve safety on the roadway but it will be an immediate economic driver for the economy of Sudbury and all of Northern Ontario.
With the decline in the manufacturing sector in Ontario, the continued development of Northern Ontario will be a key ingredient in an economic development plan for the entire province. Indeed the short sightedness of previous Provincial Governments of all stripes to fully develop the North has, in many ways, led to the current situation where Ontario has become a "have not" province economically. I point to Quebec's Plan Nord as a good example of how another province is now scrambling to play catch up for decades of mismanagement of its northern resources and peoples.
Cliffs Natural Resources has recently announced its intention to locate it's ferrochrome smelter in Capreol, north of Sudbury, assuming suitable electricity rates can be negotiated with the Province of Ontario. With the development of the mineral rich Ring of Fire in the James Bay Lowlands slowly becoming a reality, it is essential to continue the progress on a four lane corridor to Sudbury and beyond as an integral part of the plan to facilitate this hugely important mining project.
As a starter, I would like to know what your government, if elected in Ontario, would do to accelerate the four laneing of highway 69?
Other than an acknowledgement of receipt from the liberals and conservatives, I have received no response. The NDP hasn't even acknowledged receipt of my letter.
