Gerald Hawranik, PC Justice Critic, questions the Justice Minister on the Victims Rights Act as it pertains to the family of Crystal Taman.
Click here to view it live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cht0wbx14g
photo courtesy of The Winnipeg River Echo
Gerald questions the Justice Minister about the Hollow Water Blockade during the September 26th session at the Legislature. Click on both of these links to view it live. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvZOuF5GpXk; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bAcWSC9tYY
Click here to view the Gerald questioning the Minister of Transporation on PR#304 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwhaOTsLjfE
PR#304 Petition
(Excerpt from Hansard, The Official Publication of the Manitoba Legislature - Nov 29/04)
(Excerpt from Hansard, The Official Publication of the Manitoba Legislature - Nov 29/04)Throne Speech Debate by Gerald Hawranik, MLA
Mr. Speaker, I presented two petitions to the Legislature last week, and, as well, I read a member’s statement to this Legislature with respect to PR#304. I want to again draw attention to PR#304 because I believe that it is the priority road within the constituency to be recon?structed. Through that member’s statement, through those petitions, I drew attention to PR#304 to the Minister of Transportation (Mr. Lemieux). PR#304 is the main connector road between PTH#11 and PTH#59 for residents in Pine Falls, Powerview, St. George, Great Falls, Manigotagan and Bissett. Those people travel in a southwesterly direction from Powerview to Selkirk and to Winnipeg. PR#304 from PTH#11 is travelled by about 1000 vehicles every day, which includes residents, tourists and those travelling north to service the First Nations communities along the winter road.
Travelling on PR#304 to Selkirk and Winnipeg, as opposed to using PTH#11, shortens the travel time by at least 30 minutes.
The other complicating factor, Mr. Speaker, is that if you travel down PTH#11 through the Sagkeeng First Nation reserve, you are travelling right through the community. The community is situated directly on PTH#11. Many children are playing near that road and the increased traffic volumes on PTH#11, if you were to redirect traffic from PR#304 onto PTH#11 would result in almost 1000 vehicles more in traffic daily through Sagkeeng First Nation. That is not desirable because of the safety issues for the children and the people who live along that road.
The 14 kilometres of PR#304 to the south of PTH#11 is in very poor condition, Mr. Speaker. It has no shoulders, it winds among granite outcroppings, it goes through swamps, and it creates very dangerous and very treacherous conditions for the travelling public. As I pointed out in the petitions and in the member’s statement, at least six people have died on that road needlessly over the last eight years on that 14-kilometre stretch of PR#304, south of Powerview. During that time, there have been countless accidents due to the deterioration of the road and the terrible condition of the road. These accidents have caused millions of dollars of property damage to vehicles and personal injuries, and as a result of that, there has been a great deal of lost time from work and personal pain and anguish. I ask that the Minister of Transportation make every effort to travel on PR#304 and I undertake to give him a tour if he likes, just to point out that PR#304 does need reconstruction.