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Petition
Presented April 30, 2009
Long Island Causeway
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MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to present a
petition today on behalf of the residents of Long Island
with regards to a petition that they sent in pertaining
to the Long Island causeway.
We know back in August of
2003 the Department of Transportation announced that
they would build a causeway to Long Island. Then in
January of 2004, the then minister of the time, the
transport minister, announced that the Long Island
causeway would be deferred until the Province became in
a better financial position. I guess that is when the
government took over. We have heard it said time and
time again that our Province was on the verge of
bankruptcy. Well, we have advanced past that stage from
all the news that we have heard over the last several
months.
The people on Long Island
have concerns with regards to the ferry service that
they have there, which they had for some twenty-five
years, and they are very appreciative of the service
that they had for the twenty-five years. However, they
claim, and they have had the facts and figures and the
research done, saying that a causeway is more feasible
than even to consider any changes to the present ferry
service or any new ferry or what have you. They have
many issues when they talk about the concerns that they
have for this causeway. Many times, in the winter in
particular, when the ice comes into the area they have
concerns about their children getting back and forth to
school. If they had a causeway there, that would not be
an issue.
We also hear talk about
the issue with regards to product from the fish plant
being transported to market or to other areas within the
Province, and that has been an ongoing concern for the
people there.
I know recently the
residents of the committee have written the member for
the area, the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor-Green Bay
South, and asked him to keep fighting on their behalf
for a causeway, not upgraded services. They are asking
that he would bring forward their concerns for a new
causeway for that area.
Mr. Speaker, the
petitions that we have received - we have received
numerous petitions - I will be bringing them forward as
time goes by, and hopefully what we are doing, we are
asking this hon. House and the government to reconsider
their decision, where they are saying that we will not
build a causeway, and really look into the facts and
figures. Over the long haul, the people of that
particular area are saying that a fixed link between
Long Island and Pilley’s Island is the way to go in
the Green Bay area.
Mr. Speaker, I present
this petition on behalf of the residents. |
