The province’s largest union wonders if the provincial government’s approach to public services, such as road construction and maintenance, will lead to toll booths and a reduction in the level of service.
NAPE demonstrated outside Confederation Building this morning on the eve of the budget.
President Jerry Earle points to the possibility of a P3 model to expand the TCH outside Whitbourne and in central Newfoundland. He says government has nobody to blame but themselves for the condition of some of our public assets and services.
He says if government had invested properly in public services and brought in proper equipment, we would not have seen deterioration to the level we are seeing. He notes that it’s not frontline workers who are responsible – it’s top-level management.
(Photo submitted by NAPE)
And he wonders if such a switch in road construction and maintenance would led to toll booths as private companies would be the owners of the road.
Earle also warns that government is only deferring the costs.
“That’s our infrastructure. Why would we kick the cost of it down the road to be paid for by our children? Because I’m sure they won’t thank us for doing it that way.”
VOCM News will be in the budget lockup tomorrow with live coverage beginning on the VOCM-Big Land Radio Network at 2:00.
