PM says he has assurance waterfront construction will be on time, budget

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he has assurances that construction at Thunder Bay’s Marina Park is on schedule and on budget and shouldn’t miss the March 31, 2011 construction deadline to qualify for the entire $14-million federal portion of the project through the federal infrastructure stimulus fund.

The Conservative leader, in Thunder Bay Friday for a series of photo ops and a party rally, did soften his earlier stance that municipalities with projects that aren’t substantially complete could be shut out of the federal funding process.

That’s potential good news for Thunder Bay, which learned late last month that a landscape tender associated with the project had come in at $2 million, double the original budget.

"We’ve signed agreements with all our provincial and territorial partners, that projects would be completed by the deadline," said Harper, taking five questions from local media inside the former CN station at Marina park.

"The reason for that is because we had wanted to make sure that these projects that are going to create jobs and help the community during the recession. That’s the whole point of this. Obviously I’m told across the country there are a small number of projects that may be in some risk. We’re going to look carefully at those and see how we can best manage that risk," Harper said, calling the project money well spent.

The prime minister, making his first visit to Thunder Bay since 2007, spent much of the morning touring the waterfront, stopping first at the Terry Fox monument along the Trans Canada Highway. He came to the city, he said, in celebration of the first anniversary of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, which co-funded the Marina Park project alongside the city and the province.

Harper was a little less enthusiastic when it came to another major infrastructure project on the city’s wish list – a proposed $60-million multiplex to replace the aging Fort William Gardens.

City officials have repeatedly stated they want the federal government to come to the table to cover a portion of the cost, should the project move beyond the study stage.

Harper, who didn’t rule out federal assistance, said it would depend on the scope and scale of the project. The Conservatives have already come out against a proposal to use federal funds to build a new rink in Quebec City to house the hoped-for return of the National Hockey League.

"We’ve actually had a specific program dedicated to community arenas and local facilities. When it comes to larger-scale infrastructure, there really are two criteria there. First of all these have to be identified in tripartite discussions with our provincial and municipal partners that these are also their priorities. There would also have to be budget," Harper said.

"As you know we don’t intend on spending as much money on infrastructure as we’ve spent in the last couple of years. And of course, the other thing I’ve said repeatedly, if this facility involved professional sports – and I’m not sure that it does, or I suspect that it doesn’t – the government’s position is that is the principal responsibility of the private sector."

The Gardens presently plays host to the Lakehead University Thunderwolves and the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Fort William North Stars. Local entrepreneurs Anthony LeBlanc and Keith McCullough have said they want to buy an ECHL club and move it to Thunder Bay, but will only do so if the city builds a new rink.

Of course Harper couldn’t set foot in Northwestern Ontario without answering questions on the much-maligned long gun registry, which the Conservatives are trying to abolish, but require the help of opposition MPs to defeat a Liberal call to keep it.

Local NDP MPs Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty have said they will go against party leader Jack Layton and instead listen to constituents, siding with the Conservatives to kill the registry. However, pressure is mounting for them to change their vote.

Harper said the registry is ineffective and targeted at the wrong people.

"I know that for a lot of people in this area this issue matters, and when they make commitments to their constituents, I hope they will honour this commitment. But regardless of what happens here or across the country with this particular vote, this registry has been in existence for 15 years. Opposition has not diminished it has only increased," Harper said.

"Next week, whether we are successful or not, we will get the closest we have ever been to abolishing this registry. This registry wills someday be abolished."

Harper ends his day-long visit to Thunder Bay with a party rally at the Victoria Inn on Friday evening.