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Anna Thistle, Opposition Finance Critic and MHA for the District of Grand
Falls - Buchans, says school bus operators in the province are being
negatively impacted while government refuses to move forward with talks to
offset unexpected costs due to increased fuel prices. She says government
has been aware of the problem for some time, but has been too slow to take
action. "Many school bus operators in this province have indicated that
high fuel prices are causing them severe financial hardship," said Thistle.
"Government admitted several weeks ago that current contracts do not provide
enough flexibility for school bus operators to cover their costs, yet they
have refused to act. These companies operate in almost every community in
this province and should not be forced to lose money to provide
transportation for children to attend school.
"I raised a similar issue with respect to ambulance operators last week
and still government has not come forward to negotiate an acceptable
solution. School bus and ambulance services are essential to the education
and health care needs of the people of this province. The Ministers in these
departments and the Minister of Finance have a responsibility to address
these problems in an efficient manner so that services are not disrupted and
private contractors are not forced to lose money while providing services to
government.
"Government has experienced windfall tax and oil revenues because of the
high price of oil and it is not acceptable that they force school bus and
ambulance operators to absorb higher costs to provide essential government
services. This is further evidence that government must develop a strategy
to deal with problems associated with increased energy costs in the
province."
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