THUNDER BAY — Ontario's former Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle, says he hopes the new MPP for Kenora-Rainy River can help expedite the twinning of Highway 17 west of Kenora.
Gravelle was replying Monday to criticism levelled at the defeated Wynne government by Progressive Conservative MPP Greg Rickford on the night of the election.
Rickford charged that political partisanship was responsible for the fact that considerable four-laning has been done on the highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, but "we haven't even got a shovel in the ground" on the stretch from Kenora to the Manitoba border.
He said both projects had been announced about nine years ago, adding that the disparity between the two "smacks of serving the interests of Liberal candidates in Thunder Bay, and we're going to put a stop to that."
Gravelle, however, pointed to outstanding "consultation issues" with some First Nations in the Kenora area as a reason for the lack of construction activity there.
"Those issues, I think, have taken more time than we had anticipated...They are serious issues in terms of the communities."
Gravelle said that if Rickford could help resolve the issues, it would be "crucial" in moving the project forward.
He said the Liberal government had established it as a priority, and that the Ministry of Transportation has "worked hard on it," as did he when he was the minister.
Gravelle said he expects it will remain a priority under the new PC government as well.
"We want to get that project going. I want to see four-laning all across northern Ontario."
