Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones is calling on government to release all reports and cost analyses completed by government on the Long Island Causeway. Jones met with the Long Island Causeway Committee yesterday in Beaumont to gather further information on the issue.

"There are obvious discrepancies between the cost estimates for the causeway being used by the people of Long Island, verses the figures being used by government," said Ms. Jones. "The committee members feel government is misleading the public and using false information to inflate the price tag of the project."

Government announced last week the Long Island Causeway project has been shelved indefinitely. The ferry service will also be diminished as a new ferry will be shared with Little Bay Islands.

"In 2003, the former Liberal government approved the project based on a cost analysis report completed by AMEC using figures of $25 million. Government has been using figures of up to $100 million for the project without providing any justification for the inflated cost. The causeway committee has been making solid, factual and well-prepared presentations to government for years and they cannot understand why these figures have changed so dramatically without any supporting documentation from government to back up this claim.

"The only way to find out the true scope and price of this project is for all reports and documentation to be released publicly. We will be applying for this information through Access to Information legislation, but we are hopeful government will release the documents much sooner. Under current circumstances the people of Long Island do not believe government’s costing figures and neither does the MHA for the area."

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