Alberta’s transportation minister says they are making contingency plans to clear and maintain roads as they monitor the financial fallout of a multinational United Kingdom construction company.
Brian Mason said for now they believe the bankruptcy of Carillion PLC won’t affect the operations of its Canadian subsidiary.
Carillion Canada maintains more than 40 per cent of Alberta’s highways.
READ MORE: Carillion Canada, major hospital and road contractor, says it’s soldiering on despite U.K. collapse
It also has operations in Ontario, including the renovations of Toronto’s Union Station.
Mason said the province privatized road maintenance services under the previous Progressive Conservative government.
He said the government is reviewing road maintenance, but said for now there’s no plan to move away from the privatized model.
“We’ve certainly looked at the various options (but) I don’t think that that’s a direction that we’re going to be going right now,” Mason said Tuesday.
A spokesman for Carillion Canada has said it’s business as usual in Canada despite the parent company’s collapse on Monday. Cody Johnstone said Carillion Canada is not in liquidation and its 6,000 employees in Canada continue to be paid, along with its subcontractors and suppliers.
READ MORE: Thousands of Canadian jobs at risk after U.K. construction company collapses
The British construction giant went into compulsory liquidation after weekend talks with creditors failed to get the short-term financing it needed to continue operating.