MR. SPEAKER:
Further petitions?
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I take this opportunity to present
a petition which reads as follows:
WHEREAS
the Department of Transportation and Works of the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is responsible
for 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 deplorable condition,
including the road leading from that community 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.
Now, Mr. Speaker, Cape Ray is a
smaller community within my district, located about
fourteen, fifteen kilometres from Port aux Basques. They
have paved roads in their community and there is also a
gravel road which goes from the community around to J.T.
Cheeseman Park, which is a provincial park. This is a
park that this government operates, pays for, and
maintains annually. They encourage people, people who
travel from within the Province, people who travel from
without, visitors here from mainland Canada and the
United States, to go there with their travel trailers
and so on.
The problem is you cannot expect
people to come here if once they come here they do not
have proper roads to get around on. This is one such
road. In fact, the Department of Transportation and
Works itself uses the road quite often and yet, they are
not maintaining the road in a fit condition. I would
think if they are using the road themselves - it is a
public access road, it is utilized by tourists who come
to this area, it is utilized by the residents of the
area – that they would undertake to keep it in a fit
condition. Again, maybe the minister can have a look at
this and see if there is something that can be done even
under the annual maintenance program of his department
to see that this matter can be addressed rather than
leave the people in the condition that they are
currently in.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
