Minister’s road over $330,000 in costs plus consultants and management

HALIFAX, NS – Documents obtained by the Progressive Conservative Caucus through Freedom of Information show far more was invested in upgrades to an NDP cabinet minister’s road than just chip-seal resurfacing.

Dozens of emails exchanged between bureaucrats at the highest levels of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal show a great deal of political interference by NDP Minister John MacDonell and micromanaging of the NDP government’s new taxpayer-funded road paving crew.

PC MLA Chris d’Entremont questioned senior Department officials in a Public Accounts Committee meeting today.

“When all the costs are added up, capital, gravel, ditching, crew, the consultants and the actual cost of the work, was the total cost of chip-sealing the minister's road over half a million dollars?" asked d’Entremont.

Officials couldn’t provide an exact figure but admitted the cost was above and beyond just chip-sealing because a consultant was called in and extra gravelling work done.

d’Entremont said that he, as an MLA, would want to ensure his constituents knew he put their interests ahead of his own when it comes to road work.

“What we have here is a NDP government that made sure the roads of five sitting NDP politicians were chip-sealed or paved this past summer,” said d’Entremont. “This NDP misadventure has cost taxpayers millions, only completed 11 per cent of the work it was supposed to, and has been misused for political purposes.”

Officials also confirmed today what was known from last fall, that government is doing chip-sealing at a cost that is almost $10,000 per kilometre, or 25 per cent, higher than private road building companies.

d’Entremont says the money wasted on the NDP’s chip-sealing and asphalt equipment could have been invested in better road clearing this winter.

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