Letter to the Editor : Connecting Links
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Roads are the arteries of our communities. We use them to move our kids from school to practice, to get to work and to move our goods from farm to table or markets abroad. They connect where we are today to where we have to go tomorrow. They are essential to our top priority of jobs and economic growth.
When these arteries get clogged, congested or fall into a state of disrepair, it has a huge impact on our quality of life and our economy. The impact is even greater when those roads connect us to the provincial highway network or to border crossings. We call these roads “Connecting Links.” In 77 communities across Ontario, there are 352 kilometres of Connecting Links — roadways and bridges that connect two ends of a highway through a community.
The Ontario Government has heard loud and clear from municipal leaders across Ontario that our partnership was required to keep these critical transportation connections in a state of good repair.
That is why in the 2016 Ontario Budget, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the new Connecting Links Program is providing $20 million this year, $25 million next year and $30 million in 2018-19 to upgrade and make safer the roads and bridges families in Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities rely upon.
Building quality local road and highway infrastructure has a positive impact on the economic prosperity of a community, a region and our entire province. Connecting Links help people and goods move more efficiently between and across communities —and by repairing and upgrading these roads and bridges, local jobs are created.
These infrastructure investments are part of our government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on our number-one priority: to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. Our plan is also helping every worker build the retirement security they deserve.
By building the infrastructure that carries our province’s most valuable resources – our people – the new Connecting Links program is part of a long-term commitment to Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities that is stronger than ever.
Hon. Steven Del Duca, MPP
Ontario Minister of Transportation
