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Petition
Presented May 14, 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.
It is a pleasure to stand
today and present another petition on behalf of the
residents of not only Pilley’s Island and Long Island,
but from Triton, Grand Falls-Windsor, and even relatives
and friends here in St. John’s, Robert’s Arm, Triton
and so on. I guess it just goes to show that this
petition is receiving tremendous support, not only on
the island where the people have the concern but their
friends and relatives throughout the full area.
I have to say it is a
pleasure to stand today and support the residents of
that area, as well as the Long Island Causeway and
Transportation Committee – and even the MHA in the
area. I know I saw an article in the paper where he said
that his hands were not tied and he was not muzzled, but
I just want to stand and support him and the residents
so that their petition is brought forward on a timely
basis. They are continuing to come in, Mr. Speaker. I
know I have enough now until the House closes, but I
will double them up if I get too many more.
Mr. Speaker, it is a very
serious issue. Those people were promised a causeway,
even though they have had a good ferry system for some
time. In their petition they even state if they received
a good replacement ferry or a fixed link - that was
their request - but their petition is solely for a fixed
link between Long Island and Pilley’s Island.
Those residents, and I
know I have said this time and time again, have many
concerns, whether they are medical concerns, getting
people back and forth to the hospital in a timely
manner, and more so in the winter months when the ice
gets in and they do not know if the ferry is even going
to get there for them, and many times they have had to
call upon search and rescue helicopters and so on. With
a causeway all of those issues can be resolved.
Those people are calling
upon government to reconsider their decision. Even
though they made a promise back in 2003, they reneged on
it, just temporary first, saying that it was a financial
situation, but since then they have been advised that
this fixed link is not an issue with them, they will not
look at this possibility again.
On behalf of the
residents, I stand today and present this petition.
Hopefully, government will reconsider, seeing the
petitions that are coming in from that particular area.
People say that this causeway, when it comes to the
financial aspect of it, they say in the long run this is
the most feasible venture, a fixed link, rather than a
new or some other form of ferry service.
Mr. Speaker, I just
present this petition today on behalf of those residents
with regards to the Long Island causeway.
Thank you very much. |
