Advocate for Highway 6 bypass, Arnott urges MPPs
NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington – Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2010
Advocate for Highway 6 bypass, Arnott urges MPPs
(Queen’s Park) – The only thing more clogged than Highway 6 is the political will to fix that busy road, says Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott.
“We’ve talked about [the Highway 6 bypass] project for decades, literally,” said Mr. Arnott yesterday in a statement in the Ontario Legislature. “I have to say we are sick and tired of this government’s continued excuses for delay.”
The project would realign Highway 6, south of Highway 401, to bypass the congested two-lane
section through the town of Morriston. A traffic jam backed up 8 kilometres through Puslinch
Township over the Easter weekend.
Present in the Legislature for Mr. Arnott’s statement were Kathleen Wynne, Minister of
Transportation, and her parliamentary assistant, Liz Sandals. Mr. Arnott called on Ms. Sandals, who is also the MPP for Guelph, to advocate for the project.
“The parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation is in a privileged position to help move this project forward,” he observed. “We need her active advocacy for this project, which will benefit the city of Guelph every bit as much as it benefits the county of Wellington.”
“We need MPPs to help push it forward—not to pull it back with bureaucratic explanations that make no sense,” Mr. Arnott said later.
Mr. Arnott also reiterated an invitation for the Minister of Transportation to visit Puslinch Township. It’s important, he said, that the Minister sees the obvious: that this project must be considered amongst the Ministry’s highest priorities.
“The Minister should accept this invitation,” he concluded.
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Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org
Ontario Hansard – 19-April2010
Mr. Ted Arnott: Three and a half weeks ago, the government tabled its budget for the coming fiscal year. Within the Ministry of Finance’s budget papers document, we see that this year the Ministry of Transportation plans to spend over $3 billion on highway expansion, highway and bridge rehabilitation and other transportation infrastructure. This budget allocation is up dramatically from last year’s funding levels.
I’m the first to acknowledge that the Ministry of Transportation has many worthy projects on its priority list, I’m sure, but surely this increased funding, some $606 million more than last year, means that people in Puslinch township can anticipate that the Morriston bypass will soon be built. We’ve talked about this project for decades-literally. Working with Puslinch township council and staff, we have repeatedly stressed the need for this project in every possible way.
On behalf of the residents of the township whom I’m honoured to serve, I have to say that we are sick and tired of this government’s continued excuses for delays. The parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation is in a privileged position to help move this project forward. We need her active advocacy for this project, which will benefit the city of Guelph every bit as much as it benefits the county of Wellington.
On February 22, the Minister of Transportation was invited to come to Puslinch township to speak to the council and its residents and see for herself why this project should be considered amongst the ministry’s highest priorities. I call upon the minister to accept this invitation, come to the township of Puslinch, meet with the council and residents and help us to move this project forward.