Oversized Load (Waste Heat Exchanger) moves through Sarnia, Wed Sep 16, 2015. Photo by Sarnia Police via Twitter.Oversized Load (Waste Heat Exchanger) moves through Sarnia, Wed Sep 16, 2015. Photo by Sarnia Police via Twitter.
Sarnia

Senior Government Commitment Sought For Oversize Load Corridor

Ontario leaders are being encouraged to designate Sarnia-Lambton's proposed oversize load corridor as a priority before Queen's Park breaks for the summer in June.

Sarnia Lambton Industrial Alliance Chair Rick Perdeaux says MPP's could be in a different mindset when they return to the legislature in September.

"We feel once everybody comes back in the fall, instead of being in business mode they could possible be in electoral mode and that will simply delay things," says Perdeaux.

He says the City of Sarnia has agreed to be the lead applicant for funding and has already budgeted $4-million toward the project, to be paid over four years.

Perdeaux says they are seeking an identical commitment from the provincial and federal government to pay for the project, estimated at $12-million to complete.

"We feel it's something that will be very important in making all of the businesses within the Sarnia-Lambton community much more competitive on a global nature in order to minimize some shipping costs that are very repetitive and cumbersome on each and every one of the oversize moves that occur at a regular frequency within the community," he says.

Perdeaux received support from NDP Leader Andrea Horwath during her recent visit to Sarnia.

"I'll be putting together a letter of support that we'll send here to the Chamber, as well as let the city know that we're putting that letter of support forward and we'll be having the minister as well as the premier on notice that the New Democrats want to see this project funded," says Horwath.

Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey has also endorsed the project.

The Industrial Alliance and Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership are spearheading the effort and local officials were expected to be paying close attention to Wednesday's federal budget unveiling.

Sarnia's Director of Economic Development and Corporate Planning Peter Hungerford said last fall he expected funding for trade corridors to be included in the budget and the oversize load corridor could be a project that would fall within that range of projects.

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