Calvert Promises Natural Gas to La Ronge

Calvert Promises Natural Gas to La Ronge

Friday, October 31, 2003 at 15:34

NDP leader Lorne Calvert made a number of commitments to the North yesterday during his visit to La Ronge.

Calvert says if the NDP wins the coming election, a natural gas line to La Ronge will become a reality over the next term. A lobby group has been trying to bring natural gas to La Ronge for several years now, but they haven’t been able to convince SaskEnergy that there’s enough demand for the service with the current projected hook-up costs.

Calvert says even if a business case can’t be made for the service, natural gas will be coming to La Ronge over the next 4 years.

As well, Calvert says a large number of the NDP’s commitment of 2-thousand new homes for the province will be built in the North.

Calvert is also pledging to provide new venture capital for small businesses and would-be entrepreneurs in the North.

Calvert also says building the all-weather road network in the Far North is one of the NDP’s highest northern priorities. However, he won’t commit a dollar figure to the project because he says he doesn’t want to let the federal government off the hook for a proposed cost-share arrangement.