Sweeney is calling on government to act on a resolution which recently passed at a convention of the provinces’ firefighters calling for the closed weigh scales to reopen.

"These closures put firefighters under more pressure and more risk because of the danger of hazardous material spills because inspections at these stations would normally intercept potential problems before they got on the highway," said Sweeney. "In the long run, these cuts will likely cost more money and result in higher risk for the traveling public. This government entered into a cutting frenzy without doing a full examination of the consequences..

"Closing these inspection stations places too much of a burden on volunteer firefighters. It is certainly helpful to have hazardous material units across the province and people with the equipment and skills to deal with problems if they arise, but government has a responsibility to do its share by keeping hazardous material off the road and ensuring what does go on the road is handled in a safe manner. The province should be focused more on prevention because it is often too late when an accident occurs."

The Liberal critic says a pattern is developing with the cuts this government has made. They make the decision to cut before they have taken all the facts into account. He says this pattern is evident in the decision to close HRE offices and driver examination centres around the province as well.