Letter to the editor

A7

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Dear editor:

I want to take the opportunity to respond to Mr. Arron Pelletier who wrote a letter to the editor titled Wants answer on moose fence.

First of all, Mr. Pelletier states that I never answered him. I find it very unfortunate that he makes that statement when he knows full well that I have responded to him on numerous occasions. In my last response, I indicated to him that I wish to meet him to discuss this very important issue. Unfortunately, Mr. Pelletier declined such a meeting preferring to continue his e-mail attacks.

There is no doubt that I believe in making our highways safer by erecting wildlife fencing. That is why I was and continue to be a strong advocate on this very important issue. Unlike the previous Conservative Government, the Shawn Graham Government has invested many millions of dollars, within the first two years of our mandate, in wildlife fencing and will continue to do so in the future. Not only did we make the commitment, we acted on it!

Each and every week, I receive positive feedback on our government's investments in wildlife fencing between Belledune and Miramichi. Either from our college or university students, business people driving for meetings, or the general public, the wildlife fencing has relieved them from tremendous stress while driving this stretch of highway.

However, we need to continue our work by investing in wildlife fencing in other parts of the province where moose activity is a concern. Recently, I met the Minister of Transportation and his staff to discuss wildlife fencing, specifically related to the Duff Lake area. This area has been reviewed by the department and has become a priority area because of the increased collision in the past two years. That is the on-going commitment our government has towards wildlife fencing in New Brunswick and I will continue to work with my colleagues on this very important issue.

I commend Mr. Pelletier's efforts on this issue and I would hope that one day, he will agree to meet me and discuss this issue and many others that concern him. On a final note, I will remind Mr. Pelletier that two years ago, there was no wildlife fencing north of Miramichi. Today, under the Shawn Graham Government, the investments in wildlife fencing are evident and we will continue to work towards increasing this activity in priority areas, such as Duff Lake and others.

Donald Arseneault, MLA

Dalhousie-Restigouche East