MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to enter a petition on behalf of the residents of Cape Ray in the District of Burgeo & La Poile who are very disturbed and upset about the way the Department of Transportation and Works has been treating them with respect to the roads in their community and as well as the road that adjoins J.T. Cheeseman Park which is used by none other, very often, than officials and service vehicles of the Department of Transportation and Works. They do not even maintain their own road that they have consistently used.

Mr. Speaker, the petition says:

WHEREAS the Department of Transportation and Works of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is responsible for the funding and maintenance of roads in the community of Cape Ray, in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the roads at Cape Ray are in a deplorable condition, including the road leading from the community of Cape Ray to J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park; and

WHEREAS the citizens of Cape Ray demand that the roads be upgraded;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your Petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to provide sufficient funding to complete the necessary repairs to the roads at Cape Ray.

Mr. Speaker, we talk about deplorable conditions that might exist on some roadways. I do not know if I am exaggerating by saying there have been a few people missing over the years because this road has been so deplorable and so poorly maintained. I mean actually there is some wonder about what happens here.

This is a case where the provincial government, who through one department, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, encourages people to come to this Province; encourages people who reside in this Province to travel around this Province and experience what it has to offer. They operate a provincial park, the J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park, next door to this community. Yet, they invite you off the TCH to come into the park, there is another road which takes you out to the beach and on to Cape Ray which is the intention, according to Tourism, Culture to experience the place and yet you cannot get over the road. Who uses this road quite often? The very operators and trucks of the Department of Transportation and Works and they are not even properly maintaining their own road that they use themselves. It is not just for the residents.

Yet, if we had a little cooperation, if this community had a little cooperation from this minister and his department so we could get some roadwork done. No disrespect to the people who live on the Avalon, but it is not all about the Outer Ring Roads of the world, it is not all about the TCH down in this end of the world; it is about looking after everybody in this Province fairly. I do not care what political stripe you are, whether you are red, you are blue, or you are orange. It is time that this government started to be fair, when it comes to the roads in this Province.

There is no reason whatsoever that the people in Cape Ray should have to put up with a road that is less than somewhere else in this Province. Absolutely unacceptable. I encourage the government, I encourage the minister here to get on with what is fair to the residents here in this Province, and in this case in particular, get something done with the road in Cape Ray so the people have an opportunity to drive on something that is decent.