Provincial budget a “slap in the face” with no HWY 28 funding: Bonnyville Mayor

Elisa Brosseau speaks at the Highway 28 engineering study funding announcement at Town Hall in Bonnyville. 

Bonnyville Mayor Elisa Brosseau echoed the sentiments of Cold Lake’s Mayor and called the provincial budget, “extremely disappointing” last week.

At issue was the lack of long-term spending commitment to Highway 28 as design and engineering work is currently underway.

“For us, it’s pretty much a slap in the face,” said Brosseau on The Morning After.

“Big deal. You’re going to do a study and then in between now and the end of this long term capital plan, there’s going to be an election. So things can change. Throw us a bone, put $50 million in 2026. Show us that you actually want to have skin in the game.

“If we look in our area, St. Paul, Bonnyville, Cold Lake — there is there’s nothing. And so we’re extremely disappointed, to say the least.”

This not only became a Lakeland issue, but an issue that dozens of municipalities started to advocate on in the entire northeast prior to the province’s announcement last spring.

The City of Cold Lake issued a press release with strong comments, saying the highway is in need of serious upgrades, especially with the anticipated work at 4 Wing, and long-term plans of major carbon capture work.

Premier Danielle Smith has held two fundraisers in Bonnyville in the past 12 months, which makes this funding absence, for the highway and other areas of infrastructure, that much more aggravating.

“This is a huge UCP base. She rode highway 28 coming here. She was on stage saying I’m reaching out to Minister of Transportation right now to see what’s going on. For all that was said and then nothing I would think that her constituency here would be also just as disappointed.”