The NDP Opposition is calling on the Sask. Party government to address the safety concerns of the Fond du Lac Dene Nation and the FSIN, after the latest case of the provincial government letting partisan calculations get in the way of needed infrastructure funding.
“This airport is the only access point for many Northern communities and the fact that needed improvements still haven’t been made is ridiculous,” said Highways and Infrastructure Critic Buckley Belanger. “Instead of stepping up and supporting these communities, the Sask. Party is yet again pointing fingers at other levels of government while a priority infrastructure project languishes.”
Even as First Nations and Northern Affairs Minister Lori Car was blaming the Fond du Lac Dene Nation for not submitting the project on time, Carr’s government was pushing a different runway expansion in Moose Jaw, a city the Sask. Party is desperate to hold onto in the next provincial election, even though city officials had not identified that project as a priority.
“The Sask. Party has been so focused on partisan political calculations that it has made a complete mess of this infrastructure funding process from start to finish,” said SaskBuilds Critic Cathy Sproule. “The people of Fond du Lac are the latest to pay the price of this partisan finger-pointing.”
Previously, the Sask. Party government had delayed signing an infrastructure deal with the federal government until it had won the flexibility to spend less money on public transit and green infrastructure, then repeatedly blamed the federal government for delays in getting projects approved that were the fault of the province.
“It’s clear this government doesn’t understand how critical the Fond du Lac airport is to Northern communities,” said Sproule. “The government needs to step up and work with the federal government and Fond du Lac Dene Nation to make the airport a safe, accessible runway for our Northern travelers.”