December 2nd, 2021

Ford government is failing to protect rural families using local bridges: Vanthof

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP Deputy Leader John Vanthof, the NDP’s critic for rural development, released the following statement on Wednesday following the auditor general’s findings that the Ford government is not properly inspecting provincial bridges and culverts and lacks a response plan for flooding.

“The Ford government is failing to properly inspect our bridges and culverts putting our safety at risk. This is concerning for rural and small town communities that can’t count on the safety of local bridges and infrastructure for their families.

This government doesn’t have an adequate action plan in case of flooding despite the climate disasters taking place across the country.

The auditor general found that inspectors are not properly trained, they lack an updated standards manual, inspections are rushed, and there is a lack of oversight. As a result this government cannot ensure that our local bridges and culverts are fixed on time and kept safe.

This is unacceptable and this government needs to move now to fix this situation that needlessly puts the safety of Ontarians at risk.”