Dear Editor,

Across Southwest Ontario, the flooding has caused significant damage. An important and special concern are the bridges that have been made unusable, including the one in Chesley. The bridge is a core connection between the north and south parts of the town, and the important main thoroughfare, County Road 30. It will take at least a year to  replace the bridge, at a cost between 3 and 4 million dollars. This sort of deep pocket cost is difficult for a municipality to bear, especially when municipalities have not been adequately, nor properly, funded for infrastructure repairs. Starting in the '90s, the Progressive Conservative government, under Mike Harris, made drastic cuts and slashes to municipal funding. For 13 years, the Liberal government has refused to do their proper job and restore it. In June, we will have an opportunity to elect a new and different government, the Ontario New Democratic Party – one which will invest in our municipalities, in order to ensure the funding is available for regular maintenance to infrastructure. This would ease these problems for the people in our community and prevent excessive expenses to be shouldered by the people of Chesley. Together, we will proudly and properly repair the Chesley bridge.

Sincerely,

Karen Gventer

Provincial Election Candidate

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound NDP