The narrow point of view

A great little report from Jenny McCarthy from this past Monday's Labradorian (sadly, not on-line):

Transportation minister pays first visit to Trans-Labrador Highway

Early Thursday morning Transportation Minister Diane Whelan braved the mosquitoes and dust to take a look at Phase I of the Trans-Labrador highway. It was the first visit for the minister who's been in office for only seven months but she says she is impressed with the progress.

Minister Whelan held a press conference on the highway to answer any questions people might have about the construction of the highway.

A press conference... to answer questions! Novel!

In the meantime crews were at work widening and double layering the chip seal (protective coating that makes driving a little smoother) on the roads, which they expect to have finished by 2010. Chip seal has a life expectancy of 5-8 years whereas asphalt can last about 20 years.

Chip seal? Gee, would that be the substance that a certain MHA (whose name escapes) used to deride as "cheap seal", once upon a time? Or a different substance?

Deon Tee, the regional director for the Department of Transportation and Works, says a total of 100 kilometers remains to be completed from HV-GB to Cartwright and it is scheduled to be completed by 2009.

As to why the road from Cartwright to HV-GB isn't being widened as the crew continues, to avoid the work of widening it later, Mr. Tee says the team goes on what is recommended to them and they are building the model recommended by the engineers hired for the project.

The Minister, at a press conference to answer questions, defers to the regional director... who defers to the engineers... which will make it all the easier to play yet another round of Blame Canada: Trans-Labrador Highway Edition when, or if, the government of the province of which Labrador is supposedly a part commits to "surfacing" the entire Trans-Labrador Highway... not just the vote-richest part of it.