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Bay of Islands road work long overdue says MHA Joyce April 13, 2007
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Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District of the Bay of Islands, says that the announcement today by government that money will go towards the improvement of some roads in his district is welcome news and one that is long overdue. AI am encouraged by this decision to allocate $800,000 to address the poor conditions of the highways in the north and south shores of the Bay of Islands,@ says Joyce. ACertain sections of these roads are in terrible shape, as well as treacherous and residents could no longer contend with this situation and began a campaign of action to highlight the serious problem. The Liberal MHA says he presented a 1,500 name petition over three days last month to the House of Assembly from frustrated residents who demanded improvements to the highway running through their communities. AThe residents were angry and upset that government continued to refuse to invest the money that was need to upgrade their roads. Even requests for over a year and a half from the town councils to meet with the current and former ministers were turned down. AIf it were not for residents and councils active involvement and lobbying to government, certainly the money would not have been forthcoming. I would like to thank the councils on the North and South shores, as well as the residents who came to meetings and those who signed the petitions for their participation in this long process. AI will continue to pressure government to ensure that the road work gets done and that tenders are called as soon as possible. I will also continue to press government for further improvements in the road infrastructure in our district through maintenance and prevention. I think today=s announcement shows the benefits of people pulling together and pushing government to effect the type of changes that are needed in their communities.@ - 3 0 -
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