Columbia Shuswap Regional District directors were not impressed that their impassioned plea to the federal finance minister received a noncommittal reply.
Given the opportunity to provide comments related to the federal budget, which was revealed yesterday, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District chair Rhona Martin sent a letter on behalf of the board on Feb. 22, outlining the need for upgrades to the Trans-Canada Highway.
In response, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau sent a form letter thanking the CSRD for its input, however the letter made no mention of the regional district’s request, or the Trans-Canada Highway.
In her letter, Martin pointed out how pleased the board has been with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s On the Move 10-year Transportation Plan in which the province recognizes the need for safety and plan to continue four-laning the Trans-Canada Highway from Kamloops to the Alberta border.
And while she supports federal plans to upgrade infrastructure in national parks, Martin asked for financial support for the TCH particularly in the Interior.
“A recent report from the Insurance Corporation of B.C., Quick Statistics, February 2016, shows that the contributing factors in fatal crashes over a five-year average indicate the roads of the Southern Interior region are, by far, the most dangerous in B.C.,” she wrote.
While acknowledging the remaining roadway to be four-laned is the hardest to build, Martin pointed out from 2005 to 2012, there was an average of 522 collisions and 64 unplanned closures per year.
The letter listed the critical safety, mobility and economic importance of the Trans-Canada.
“We the board of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, with the ardent support of our member municipalities City of Salmon Arm, District of Sicamous, City of Revelstoke and Town of Golden earnestly request that the Government of Canada allocate funds in the 2016 budget to fund continued improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway…” concluded the letter.
While thanking the board for its input, Morneau’s letter was not considered a cause for celebration.
“As you know, Budget 2016 will be developed in a time of ongoing economic challenges for Canada,” responded the minister. “Our government remains committed to investing in middle-class families and making sure they have every opportunity to succeed.”
District of Sicamous Mayor Terry Rysz was vocal in his opinion on the subject that has long concerned members of the regional district board and area municipalities.
“I am not happy with this response,” he said.