Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans count on being able to travel our highways to get to work, visit family, go shopping, and get to medical appointments, yet too often in winter we see our provincial highways behaving more like skating rinks than modern roads.

To the Minister of Transportation: does the minister honestly believe that what we saw on the highways this weekend is the best we can do with our current resources?

The Speaker: The hon. minister. An opinion.

Mr. Danyluk: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There’s a little bit of irony because last week the hon. member asked me a question on how come we were wanting to have more sand and more salt in reserve for our highways, and today he is worried about the ice. Let me make it very clear that the safety of our highways is number one. It is critical to ensure that individuals that are travelling on those highways are confident in our highways, and we’re trying to do the best that we can.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Where was the salt and sand when people were slipping and sliding all over the place on the highways?
To the minister again: given that almost all highway mainte-nance in Alberta is contracted out, can the minister give the House assurance that contractors don’t have incentive to keep plows and sanders off the road until the last possible moment to increase their profits?

Mr. Danyluk: Well, first of all, we do have a highway mainte-nance network, that’s divided throughout the province into different maintenance crews. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to you that they are on duty 24 hours a day if necessary, if the situation arises. We do everything that we possibly can to ensure that the highways are sanded, that the roads are bladed, and that the safety of Albertans is our paramount concern.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I travelled on the highway on Saturday, and I only saw one sand truck on the highway coming to Red Deer and one going back.

To the minister again: given that Albertans continue to be disappointed in the response to the snow on the highways, can you really say, sir, that your department is meeting Albertans’ expectations?

Mr. Danyluk: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’m not exactly sure what distance the hon. member travelled to see the one sand truck, but I will tell you that if there is ice on our roads and if there is a safety concern on our roads, we will be there, and we will be sanding, and we will be clearing the roads.

Alberta Hansard, December 5, 2011

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