"I knew government was making a mistake when they decided last month not to fund this project in Labrador," said Jones. "SmartLabrador has an excellent track record that speaks for itself. The future of the organization should not have been compromised for the sake of a small amount of bridge funding.

"Government refused last month to provide funding to SmartLabrador, despite the fact that four other projects on the Island portion of the province received funding allocations. It was very irresponsible to place a $12 Million investment in Labrador communities in jeopardy and I am very pleased this decision was reversed.

"I only hope government has learned a lesson from this experience. Funding decisions like this should receive detailed consideration and should not be taken lightly. Government unnecessarily placed the fate of this program and it’s employees in limbo for several weeks. In future, this government should take the advice of people in the community and local leaders who speak with immeasurable experience and not act based solely on short sighted fiscal constraint.

"This is part of a continuing problem with the way this government makes decisions without taking into account the long-term implications of their actions. What we need is a balanced approach to managing out fiscal situation and meeting the long-term best interests of the province. The tendency of this government to be penny-wise and pound foolish is having terrible implications for the economy of the province."