BRANDON, Man. – Premier Greg Selinger has announced additional funding for road repairs in Manitoba’s oilpatch.
Selinger said Thursday at his state of the province address in Brandon that the province will invest $30 million into road improvements in the region.
He said that’s on top of the $80 million the province has already committed to the area.
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Among the roads targeted for repair are a couple of stretches on the Trans-Canada Highway, including 21.9 kilometres between Oak Lake and Virden.
The money will also go towards Provincial Road 256, a road that Selinger says was identified as one that people wanted to see dramatically improved.
Selinger says the government is committing the extra money “to ensure that the infrastructure is functioning at a higher level to meet the needs of an area that’s very dynamic right now in terms of it’s dynamic activity.”
“There has been hundreds of millions of dollars of additional investment in there. There’s a tremendous amount of activity going on with the kind of regulations that keep it safe. It’s a tremendous story in Manitoba.”
Selinger also said the province is still committed to investing in the Brandon airport.
“It’s an opportunity to expand the airport and provide better services to people flying in and out of this community for family reasons or business reasons,” said Selinger.
“We’ve already made investments for better lighting at the airport for the evenings but the facility itself could be larger and we’re willing to be a part of that solution.”
Selinger says he would like to one day see a direct flight link between Manitoba’s two largest cities.
“It would be great for both Winnipeg and Brandon. It would just create a lot more opportunities,” said Selinger. “We hope (WestJet) comes up with a good solid business case to do it.”
— CKLQ
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