Sudbury MPP Jamie West used the Oct. 31 question period to criticize the Ford government for not living up to its word when it comes to four-laning Highway 69.
“The Conservative Fall Economic Statement won’t deliver on Highway 69 – again,” said West. “When it comes to insider vanity projects, like luxury spas and 401 tunnels, the Conservative government moves mountains. But, when it comes to people dying on northern highways, the Conservative government continues to make excuses to delay the process.”
The effort to four-lane the approximately 400-kilometre stretch between Sudbury to Toronto has been on the books for decades. Both the previous Liberal government and the current Conservative government have vowed to complete the work, both for safety and economic reasons.
The work is nearly done, save for 68 kilometres.
Despite West taking him to task at Queen’s Park this week, Premier Doug Ford actually spoke on the issue of Highway 69 when he visited Greater Sudbury on Oct. 28.
Responding to a media question, the premier said the remaining section of the highway is in the engineering stages. Talks with three First Nations, over whose land the highway runs, are ongoing as the province must acquire the land in order to allow the expansion.
Those communities are Shawanaga First Nation, Henvey Inlet First Nation and Magnetewan First Nation.
As well, it was announced in June that an Indigenous-owned construction company would be securing work for the four-laning of Highway 69 in Northern Ontario.
Shwe Miikaan — a construction company owned by Shawanaga, Magnetawan and Henvey Inlet First Nations — and AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin) announced on June 6 they have formed a limited partnership.
Under the agreement, Shwe Miikaan will contribute its expertise in construction and community engagement, while AtkinsRéalis will provide its services in project management, engineering, design, contract administration, and environmental services.
Stéphanie Vaillancourt, president of AtkinsRéalis in Canada, said in a news release that the partnership will serve as a template for how the company conducts business across the country.
“It’s critical that Indigenous communities have greater supply chain opportunities on projects that pass through their territories. This partnership with Shwe Miikaan is a model for how we will work on infrastructure projects in Canada, by bringing Indigenous-owned companies and expertise into our supply chain,” Vaillancourt said in the release.
