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Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District of Bay of Islands, says he is pleased that
it finally appears that the Department of Transportation and Works will
address the unsafe and dangerous section of road in McIvers on the North
Shore of the Bay of Islands. Joyce says he will be vigilant to ensure that
the proper repairs are completed on this section of road, not just a patch
up job in the hope that the concerns will go away. "I read Minister
Rideout’s press release today with caution," said Mr. Joyce. "It still
appears that the minister is unwilling to admit that he made a poor decision
in not prioritizing this section of road. If Minister Rideout still does not
feel that there is any urgency to have this section of road repaired, why
did his officials place eight signs in the area warning of dangerous driving
conditions and the necessity to reduce speed? If this work could have been
done under the summer maintenance program as claimed by the minister, why
was this work not done? Why did his officials recommend immediate action be
taken to have this section of road fixed if there was no danger?
"I am very disappointed that it took over two months to have this issue
addressed. The minister is still not willing to admit publicly that he spoke
to me three times regarding this issue, conversations that were witnessed by
others, and received two letters regarding this road, a fact he finally
admitted in a letter sent to me on August 12th. It is obvious
that the minister and senior officials knew about these concerns expressed
in my letters, as senior officials were drafting a response. I certainly had
no problems raising the concerns directly with the minister, but it appears
Minister Rideout had problems hearing and recognizing the concerns until he
was confronted and his statements proven false.
"While the minister continues to play politics with this issue, I am
grateful that he now appears willing to move forward with these much needed
repairs. While the minister may not feel that these repairs are a priority,
I am glad he listened to the concerns raised by myself, the local towns,
local residents, media and his own officials.
"I hope that Minister Rideout learns a valuable lesson from this
experience, safety must be placed before politics. While today’s
announcement to have this road repaired looks promising, I will continue to
ensure that the proper repairs are undertaken. A simple patch up job is not
acceptable, this road must be repaired to ensure that these safety issues
are addressed once and for all."
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