Truck route becomes part of Liberal campaign

David Orazietti, the Ward 1 Councillor who's also the Sault's Liberal candidate in the next provincial election, has made a local truck route a major plank in his campaign platform.

The project, estimated to cost between $11 million and $14 million, is one of ten local campaign commitments made by Orazietti this afternoon as he discussed his party's Northern Ontario campaign.

Orazietti told SooToday.com that he supports an "acceptable" relocation route to divert traffic from the core, but stopped short of saying he supports the exact route proposed last year.

Some residents along the proposed route have expressed concerns, and those concerns must be addressed, Orazietti said.

To see a map of the truck route as it was proposed last year, please click here.

Today, with Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci and Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown (both shown above) at his side, Orazietti discussed details of the Liberal platforms for Sault Ste. Marie and Northern Ontario.

Orazietti's Top Ten List for Sault Ste. Marie

• Secure financing for the construction of a New Hospital($183 million)

• Support our nationally renowned Group Health Centre, hire more nurses and increase Sault Ste. Marie's role in the Northern Ontario Medical School (Governance, Internship programs)

• Bring more Government Jobs to S.S.M. through decentralization (OLGC, MPAC, Ministry of Public Safety and Security - Sault Ste. Marie Jail)

• Develop a Northern Ontario Tax Incentive Plan for economic growth and job creation

• Attract Auto Sector Investment with Provincial incentives in research and development and onfrastructure (Algoma Steel Inc., etc.)

• Implement Rozanski's recommendations for publicly funded education, cancel the $500 million dollar private school tax credit and properly fund and expand our post-secondary institutions (Algoma University-College, Sault College) • Build an acceptable truck traffic relocation route moving transport traffic out of the Downtown ($11 to $14 million)

• Build a new multi-purpose arena ($21.7 million)

• Secure a commitment to 4-lane Highway 17 to match the 10 year plan to 4-lane highway 69 to Sudbury

• Fully implement the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Diversification Strategy (8000 jobs, 2 million in tax assessment)

***************************************************************** To read the Northern platform of the Ontario Liberal Party, please click here.

To access a response from Sault Ste. Marie MPP Tony Martin, please click here.