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Percy Barrett, Liberal MHA for the District of Bellevue,
is calling on Premier Danny Williams to become involved in a dispute between
Transportation and Works Minister Tom Rideout and residents of Old Mill Road
in the Local Service District of Goobies. "Over
the past few days, the permanent residents of Old Mill Road have pleaded
with government officials to plow the road so that residents could work, go
to school and allow access for emergency vehicles," said Barrett. "Minister
Rideout has been unwilling to even discuss the situation with residents and
continues to leave them in a dangerous situation of being trapped in their
own homes.
"It is time for the Premier to get involved in this
dispute and show these people that his government is not one that only
operates based on dollars and cents. This road was classified as a Class 4
road by mistake in the past and it is time for government to rectify the
problem. It is not fair that residents on only one road in a Local Service
District are forced to pay for their own snow-clearing services.
"It is unclear why Minister Rideout refuses to
consider the matter or meet with local residents to rectify the problem. The
Minister must realize the mistake made by his department, but yet is
unwilling to take any action or admit he was wrong. Someone in government
has to play a leadership role in this situation and I am asking the Premier
to intervene immediately like he did to upgrade a road in Humber Valley
District last year."
Government claimed in budget documents last year that
cutting maintenance and snow-clearing services to all cabin roads would save
$800,000 this fiscal year. Residents in the area say there have been
permanent liviers on the road for many years and the Department of
Transportation has done maintenance and plowed the road for more than 30
years.
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