Sometimes the need to do the right thing outweighs money or politics.
Such is the case with the MD of Bonnyville council's recent decision to sign a cheque for $2 million to move forward a cost-sharing agreement with the provincial government to build a new “roundabout” road project at the intersection of Highway 55 and Highway 892.
While a couple of councillors and many members of the public vehemently oppose spending local tax dollars on a provincial highway project, Rondeau insists spending the money and getting the project completed this coming spring and summer is the right thing to do and money well spent.
We agree.
Without the MD stepping forward to share the costs of the $4 million project, all signs indicate it might have been another five years, and likely closer to a decade, before the traffic nightmare that happens each and every working day at this dangerous intersection is cleaned up once and for all.
As Imperial Oil operations manager Keith Chiasson told the Nouvelle so eloquently last week, one of the toughest parts of his job is constantly worrying about someone getting killed or seriously injured going to and from work.
After only 18 months on the job at Bonnyville operations, Chiasson said he has personally witnessed two serious crashes at this particular intersection.
Hundreds of employees have voiced to him their concerns about the dangers of travelling in and around this particular stretch of roadway.
Considering there are more than 1,500 Imperial Oil employees and contractors who visit the Esso Plant each working day and hundreds of more vehicles travelling to work at plants owned by Cenovus, Husky and Shell, something has to been done to ease traffic congestion before a fatality takes place.
Opponents of the project will argue an expensive set of traffic lights would solve the problem. That's wishful thinking and not going to provide any long-term solution considering the insane amount of traffic.
The province has made it very clear they want a permanent, long-term solution to this problem and a traffic roundabout that will keep cars, trucks and heavy equipment moving in a safe and orderly fashion is the best solution.
Imperial Oil pays in excess of $16 million a year in corporate taxes to the MD of Bonnyville.
Spending $2 million of that money on a project that is going to be beneficial and increase safety for tens of thousands of employees over the next 100 years is not wasting taxpayers money.
Kudos for Rondeau for taking a strong leadership role in making the roundabout happen sooner than later.
There's simply too much traffic and too much danger to leave things as they have been for far too long.
Having to inform a parent, wife or spouse about a tragedy that could have been avoided is not acceptable.
