Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey says the provincial government is turning its back on northern Manitoba by dissolving a department tasked with building an all-season road.
The PC government announced this week it would disband the East Side Road Authority (ESRA) and shift its mandate over to Manitoba Infrastructure.
ESRA was established to build an all-season road along the east side of Lake Winnipeg to link Berens River with southern Manitoba, according to the Winnipeg Sun. The estimated cost was $3 billion over 30 years.
“Their lack of concern for northern jobs and northern roads is obvious,” Lindsey, a New Democrat, said in a news release, referencing the PCs.
“We ask the premier to stop hiding his secret agenda and confirm that the elimination of the East Side Road Authority is really nothing more than the beginning of the shifting of resources out of northern Manitoba.”
In an interview, PC MLA Kelly Bindle said the amalgamation would reduce costs, allowing for more dollars to be spent on infrastructure.
He said the province would review contracts not yet committed to by ESRA in order to ensure value for taxpayers.
Bindle added that the PCs are investing more in province-wide infrastructure this year, nearly $1.8 billion, than did the previous NDP government.
