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Petition
Presented May 1, 2008
Calling on government to keep maintenance depots
open all year
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MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Port de Grave.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I want to present a
petition today on behalf of residents with regard to the
road maintenance program and the closing of depots in
various areas of the Province. I want to make it very
clear from the outset, this has nothing to do with the
wonderful capital funding that came down for all of our
districts, but just some concerns that people have with
the maintenance and with the closure of those depots.
I know for a fact, I have
spoken to some of those individuals who work in the
various depots in Avondale and different areas, they are
on in the wintertime as operators and now they have to
take a reduction in pay and they are classified as
labourers. I know, last year, many of them decided that
they would stay around and take the lower paid position,
but this year some of them are saying that they are
going to more on and look for work outside the Province,
and that is unfortunate.
When it comes to the
maintenance program that I am referring to, I know in my
own area - and I just referenced some of the areas there
- there is an awful lot of rutting and maintenance
problems that have to be done with the roads. If it is
not taken care of this year or next year, there is going
to have to be major repair work done. I guess it is
better to try to take care of that now than in the
future.
The other thing I would
like to mention is with regard to the class 4 roads. I
know I spoke to the minister and her officials and they
are looking at that. What we are after is not a full
maintenance program on the class 4 roads; it is just
that maybe they can be graded in the spring and again in
the fall of the year, and hopefully that will be taken
care of.
I know maintenance will
be done on those roads, but I just want to impress upon
the minister that she would consider hopefully keeping
those depots open, and then more work can be done over a
larger area; because, when they are only operating out
of the Bay Roberts depot, they have to travel quite a
distance to get to the areas.
I call upon the minister
to consider that, and hopefully that would be adhered to
this year, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. |
