POLL: Provincial promises bring PA one step closer to second bridge

“I had a brief chat with the Mayor today and I sent him a letter as well,” said Wall. “They’re going to discuss things because the local component there’s a financial implication there as well, just as there was for the City of Saskatoon.”

Wall said during the meeting that Randy Hoback could act as the federal liaison to bring the federal government on board with this agreement as well.

“I am encouraged Prince Albert member of parliament Randy Hoback has publicly invited local municipalities and the province to come forward,” Wall wrote in a letter to Mayor Greg Dionne. “With a Prince Albert bridge proposal for the federal government to consider.”

Wall said that talks have been ongoing for the past few months concerning the eligibility of P3 funding for a second bridge in the city.

“We’ve already contacted our contacts with P3 Canada to say would this project be potentially eligible,” said Wall. “And we contacted the city and I think [Saskatoon] Mayor Atchison has been in touch with Mayor Dionne here.”

Wall said that they are completely open to private sector funding as well.

“Maybe there’s a role for the private sector to join in the funding as well,” said Wall. “There’s precedent for the private sector that wants better access, these better routes in place, there’s precedent for them being partners as well and we should at least explore it.”

A recent study weighing the need for a second bridge in Prince Albert based on the traffic count using the current infrastructure came back with a negative rating, but Wall said it’s not always about the numbers.

“Those numbers really maybe don’t warrant that second bridge from a strictly traffic perspective,” said Wall. “But there are many local projects that we’re a meaningful partner on where we do not determine what the project should be.”

The Mayor responds

The City of Prince Albert would need to submit an application to Build Canada, which approves all P3s in the country.

Mayor Greg Dionne called it a good news announcement.

However, with that Dionne has a few concerns, namely what sort of tax burden it would leave on the city's taxpayers.

He mentioned that, if approved, the City will already have money tied up in a P3 application filed for a new hospital through the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.

Dionne spoke on the phone with Wall beforehand.

“At the end of the day if we were to go to a P3 [with the bridge] we might have to, as a city, put in $20, $30 million. And then if you go ahead with the funding of a hospital, our levy could be unbelievable. And I said so, we can't make a decision on the bridge. It's got to be tied to the hospital.”

He added that having Prince Albert's issues on the province's radar is positive.

Wall said that based on rough estimates, a second bridge in Prince Albert could cost around $150 million, but this could change with decisions on placement and size of the new bridge.

He said it’s now in the hands of the city to make the application and send it to Ottawa to start the gears turning.

“Just as in the case of the commuter bridge in Saskatoon, the city of Saskatoon made the application and we said when they’re approved we’re in, and I’m saying that again today,” said Wall.

We’ll now have to wait to see what the city decides to do next, but Wall said that he hopes this will help open a new level of partnerships between Prince Albert and the provincial government for more projects in the future.

“I’m proud of the record of our government in Prince Albert,” said Wall. “We’re going to continue to treat Prince Albert with the respect it should be accorded as the Northern Gateway and to continue to make investments, but it’s going to be about partnerships so that’s why we’re hopeful that this now can go forward as a P3.”

– with files from Chelsea Laskowski

jbowler@panow.com

Twitter:@journalistjim

by James Bowler

POLL: Provincial promises bring PA one step closer to second bridge

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