The Ontario PC Party is the only party committed to the continued twinning of Highway 17, Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke PC candidate John Yakabuski announced June 4.
This is in stark contrast to the Liberals who have done little on this file in recent years and the New Democrats who have never shown interest for this vital transportation project.
“I was shocked when the Wynne Liberal’s did not include the further twinning of Highway 17 in their 2017 five-year plan” said Yakabuski. “Since then in the Legislature I have called on successive Transportation Ministers to fast track the next section of divided highway deeper into Renfrew County, only to have the Liberals ignore our local communities time and time again. As for the NDP, I’m not sure they could find Highway 17 on a map, let alone commit to twinning it.”
The next portion of twinning is expected to go from Scheel Drive in McNab/Braeside to the Town of Renfrew. When Doug Ford came to Renfrew County last month, he committed to making the continued twinning of Highway 17 a priority for his government and a commitment to Highway 17 is a key component of the Ontario PC Plan for the People.
Yakabuski stated that this is why it is so important for people to get out and vote on Thursday.
“In this election there is only one leader and one party that understands and respects people in rural Ontario. We need to make sure Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke has a voice at the table in a Doug Ford government so projects like Highway 17 get the attention they deserve” he concluded.
Yakabuski, J. (2018, June 4) Doug Ford and John Yakabuski Commit to Putting Highway 17 Twinning into Five-Year Plan [Press release]
I have been driving the Barry’s Bay to Ottawa route since 1965 when I turned 16 and have witnessed many changes and improvements over the years, especially between Renfrew and Ottawa. However, I have also observed that traffic continues to increase rapidly on that section, not just on Fridays and Sundays but everyday, even at 6:00 AM. Ultimately, I see the need for twinning HWY 17 to Pembroke-Petawawa and beyond.