John Finn has been busy working with municipal leaders since last fall’s municipal elections on a number of fronts and plans to assist them with their priorities, once identified.
The MHA for Stephenville – Port au Port recognized there have been changes in a lot of the town councils in his district and said it’s important he work on their behalf, bringing their voice to the House of Assembly.
In addition to their priorities, Finn has some of his own for 2018, some of which are included below.
Road infrastructure
Finn expects there will be a number of improvements to roads throughout the district in 2018 but one section he is looking forward to, in particular, is significant work on Route 460 on the Hansen Highway on a seven- to eight-kilometre stretch from M&F Motor Sports to Gull Pond, with the road to be brought up to today’s standards.
Education
He is looking forward and committed to seeing College of the North Atlantic’s new Motive Power Centre of Excellence completed and in operation. He said the implementation of recommendations from the Premier’s Task Force on Educational Outcomes, specifically in the area around inclusive education, is something he is looking forward to and which all schools in the district will benefit from.
Industry. Finn said with the Town of Stephenville’s new economic development plan recently announced, he will be working closely with them to attract industry as together they will promote assets in the town, like its airport and port.
Health care
He said last year the provincial government provided nearly $400,000 in funding to the Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital for new equipment. He said this helps insure medical care professionals have the right equipment and Western Health can recruit and retain doctors and other professionals, which is a top priority.
Environment
Finn is looking to secure a permanent fix for abandoned wells at Shoal Point. He also wants to secure funding for clean-up of some dilapidated buildings in the town and specifically the one on Massachusetts Drive which was demolished in 2015 but the job wasn’t completed. He said it’s unsightly and needs to be taken care of.
2017
Finn said 2017 was a great year when it came to waterline work in both Port au Port East and Port au Port West-Aguathuna-Felix Cove.
He said because of the state of their waterline infrastructure there had been a ban on housing in Port au Port East, which has since been lifted because of the new waterlines. In Port au Port West-Aguathuna-Felix Cove more homes are being connected to the waterline.
Finn said overall it was a good year in the district with a number of investments in a number of communities through municipal capital works.
