The Reeve of the County of Grande Prairie says he is happy to hear about the extra money the province has allocated for the Highway 40 twinning project in its spring budget. Something he would like to see happen sooner than later, though, is a connector from Highway 40 south of the city to Highway 43 west of the city.
“We need to get that large traffic out of the City of Grande Prairie from the safety standpoint, also to ease the flow making it easier for industry and everyone really. If you look at most cities around the province, this is the only one that doesn’t have a connection point connecting major highways to one another, but rather you have to go through the city.”
Marshall adds with the money the province has committed to the healthcare system, he hopes some will be used towards keeping facilities like the Beaverlodge Hospital emergency room open. However, one of the main issues when it comes to keeping these facilities open is the lack of staff, he explains.
“If the money is going to actually bring the staff in, so we have the personnel we need to make sure those facilities are open to provide those services, then that’s a great thing.”
He adds the true test will be seeing if the region and province will get the medical staff needed. Marshall is optimistic but says it is a wait-and-see game going forward.