Northern B.C. will get its fair share of a Liberal campaign promise to spend $8 billion in infrastructure projects, should they be elected, say both Prince George Liberal candidates.
The Liberals say expanded service at the University Hospital of Northern B.C., including cardiac care, will be on the list. The NDP announced, a day before the election call, that the project, first unveiled on the eve of the 2017 election by Liberals Shirley Bond and Mike Morris, has had its concept plan approved. The approval means the funding, likely around $700 million, is set aside in the government’s capital plan.
The Liberals infrastructure funding also includes fast-tracking work on the Cariboo Connector. Announced on the eve of the 2005 election, the Cariboo Connector is a long-term strategy to widen the entire 460-km portion of Highway 97 from Cache Creek to Prince George to four lanes.
“These initiatives are so important to our region,” said Bond, the Liberal candidate in Prince George-Valemount, in a news release. “I have been a tireless advocate for both projects and will continue to ensure they are completed. Enhancements and improved services at UHNBC have been a top priority for me, as I hear far too often from constituents about the challenges of having to travel for cardiac service. Our region deserves top quality healthcare options as close to home as possible.”
“The completion of the Cariboo Connector is critical to a diversified resource-based economy,” Morris, the Liberal candidate in Prince George-Mackenzie. “I know this will be an important step with an immediate positive impact towards the safe and efficient movement of people, goods, and services, throughout the province.”
British Columbians go to the polls October 24.