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Opposition Leader Roger Grimes says Premier Danny Williams is trying to
mislead the people of the province instead of clearly admitting that he has
abandoned any plans to pursue a fixed-link to Labrador while he is in
office. Government today released the results of the pre-feasibility study
into developing a fixed-link to Labrador. The report projected costs of $1.7
billion to construct the tunnel and an 11 year time frame for it to be in
operation. "Premier Williams should clearly state to the people of the
province what his real intentions are with respect to this development,"
said Mr. Grimes. "While stating that he would like the project to proceed in
the future, he will not be lobbying the federal government to provide the
funding for the project, he won’t be issuing any proposal calls or
expressions of interest, and the timelines for development won’t allow it to
be completed while he is Premier. It appears that Premier Williams is afraid
to admit what others had told him before being elected, this is a project
that is not economically feasible without billions in taxpayer dollars.
"The Premier made this an election plank in an attempt to win seats on
the Northern Peninsula. He raised the hopes of the people in the region and
is now refusing to admit the project won’t be completed anytime soon. During
a time when this government continues to make cuts to services and put the
bottom line ahead of everything else, the Premier is still trying to
maintain his image by keeping false hope alive.
"The fixed-link has always been great visionary initiative for the
future, however, Premier Williams cannot have it both ways. He must either
actively pursue this project while he is in office or finally admit the huge
costs will force him to put it aside as previous governments have done for
the past 50 years. Sitting on the fence for political reasons will only
create more uncertainty for the people who have been waiting for a decision
since 2003."
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