The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure:

Speaker, our investment of more than $1.1 billion in Budget 2023 for infrastructure will create hundreds of jobs and new modern buildings in our province, as well as improvements to provincial roads and highways.

Among various planned initiatives in Labrador, more than $20 million will support the building of a new and accessible K-12 school in Cartwright. Another investment of $5.7 million will continue the expansion at the Labrador Correctional Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, allowing services to be delivered locally and reducing the need for transports. These investments follow the completion of the new mental health unit at the Labrador Health Centre.

Upgrades began on the North West River Highway last year and more upgrades are planned for this year. Our proudest infrastructure moment was on that historic day last July when paving was completed on the Trans-Labrador Highway. Close to $1 billion has been invested for this project since 1997, including more than $230 million since 2016.

Speaker, work continues on a pre-feasibility study for building a road into Northern Labrador. Consultations are ongoing and will help determine next steps. Along with our other actions in Labrador, such as housing, enhancing snowmobile travel, Family Care Teams and our annual commitment to ferry services, we are excited about what we will accomplish in the Big Land.

We look forward to seeing the results of these investments and the benefits they will bring to all Labradorians.

Thank you.