Northern Development and Mines Minister Greg Rickford is taking shots at his predecessor.
On the final day of the fall sitting, Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle asked Rickford, who represents Kenora-Rainy River, to maintain funding for the Northern Highways Program.
Rickford says he’ll go one step further and begin work on a project he says Gravelle failed to get off the ground: twinning Highway 17 west of Kenora.
“We know the province of Ontario is developing those highways. Nothing happened out there, Mister Speaker,” Rickford argues. “We’re hopeful that something will happen. We’re working with our communities to ensure that that section of the highway gets twinned, and starts as quickly as possible.”
Rickford has suggested in the past that Gravelle used the $50 million earmarked for twinning the Trans-Canada west of Kenora to help double-lane the Trans-Canada from Nipigon to Thunder Bay.
Meanwhile, Gravelle is defending the lack of movement on twinning Highway 17 west of Kenora.
Gravelle suggests a lot of work has been accomplished on that project.
He acknowledges what he calls the “significant” consultations that have been done, adding he’s pleased to hear Rickford will be working with communities to move the project forward.
