FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29th, 2014
New Developments of Humber Valley Paving Contract and
Auditor General Review
Yvonne Jones, Member of Parliament for Labrador, spoke on today’s release of the Auditor General’s review of the Humber Valley Paving contract in Labrador:
“I am quite disappointed with the findings of the Auditor General of Newfoundland and Labrador today in the review of the Humber Valley Paving contract (Project 1-12PHP). It is clear that the Provincial government made questionable decisions when they decided to terminate their contract with HVP, and pay out millions in taxpayer money It seems the decision to cancel this contract was made the decision in the span of a few hours, and also on the day before nominations closed for leadership contestants to lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
“The Auditor General has made it quite clear that he is not satisfied with the process surrounding the contact’s cancellation, and I believe a judicial inquiry is the best solution going forward to establish how this whole process unfolded. If the AG states his review has not been able to determine important answers to this contract cancellation, we need to move forward with other measures of action that will lead to answers for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador”, said Jones.
Ms. Jones also emphasized the importance of this project in Labrador, and how the government has inadequately handled the tender:
“The funds paid out to Humber Valley Paving for the bungled contract was the largest single investment of Provincial funds related to Labrador in 2014 outside of Nalcor’s Muskrat Falls development. Unfortunately, because of the Progressive Conservative government’s bungling of the contract, the work is still not completed on the road, and won’t be this year. This is a vital travel network for families, business, and the general prosperity of Labrador.”
“The Provincial government has spent their time fighting my constituents on our decision to raise the Labrador flag at our borders, instead of ensuring we have accountable governance. This demonstrates their lack of effort to follow through on commitments to Labradorians, which includes paving our highways. It is time the government examine its own priorities and ensure responsible management of taxpayer money, not just political decisions that waste taxpayer money and attempt to hide information”, said Jones.
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Media contact:
Christian von Donat
613-996-4632 (T)
613-222-2735 (C)
[email protected]