July 29, 2018 – Tyler Kula, The Sarnia Observer
Ontario’s infrastructure minister says he’s going to bat for a job-creating oversized-load corridor project in Sarnia-Lambton.
“I think there are a number of opportunities, and (Sarnia-Lambton) MPP (Bob) Bailey and I are going to look at those funding streams to see if there’s something that applies that can help build this heavy haul corridor,” said Monte McNaughton.
“This is important for MPP Bailey and I,” McNaughton said.
“We represent this region and we’re going to continue to try and make this happen.”
McNaughton – who’s office said he was speaking as MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex – and Bailey met recently with a contingent that included mayors from Sarnia and St. Clair Township, the head of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, and representatives from the County of Lambton and the Sarnia Lambton Industrial Alliance – a group of local fabricators and industrial service companies.
The local group has already pledged $6 million towards the project that includes raising power lines, adjusting street lights, improving roads and upgrading Sarnia Harbour, to make it more cost effective for local fabricators to get their products to customers.
A business plan for the project estimates the corridor could generate $9.5 million in annual sales and create 2,613 person years of employment.
The local group is moving forward with targeted investments in the estimated $12-million project after previous bids for federal and provincial funding have fallen flat.
But the recent change in government at Queen’s Park has advocates hopeful funding can be found after all.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley called the Strathroy meeting with Bailey and McNaughton – who have pledged support for the project in the past – productive.
“We were looking for guidance on how the province could move this project forward,” Bradley said, noting “there’s immediacy” to the need as oversized equipment is expected to move to the site of a $2-billion Nova project in Corunna over the next several months.
“We did get across the sense of urgency because of the fact that every time one of these big units comes through there’s a significant cost to it,” Bradley said. “That was the focus … can you be our Sherpa? Where do we take it in the province?”
The Doug Ford government recently announced it’s doing an audit of government spending.
“I guess by the end of August there’ll be the initial report to tell government and the people of Ontario exactly the fiscal shape of the province,” McNaughton said.
The local group meanwhile is zeroing in on where to make those targeted investments, Bradley said.
“That work has started already,” he said. “So we could move very, very quickly.”
He also asked McNaughton and Bailey to look into a recent $1.45-million provincial grant for intercity bus service between Sarnia, Strathroy and London.
“Because if it came from the Green (Ontario) Fund, the green fund is eliminated,” Bradley said.
“We need verification – ‘where was the previous government funding that from?’” he said.
“So they’re working on that for us right now.”
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