FTLComm - Tisdale - May 30, 2000

Saskatchewan's department of highways has been under considerable criticism in the provincial legislature this week as so many of the province's secondary highways are losing all form of integrity. Opposition members criticised the government for putting only 80% of the money it raises in taxation from the tax on gasoline back into the road system and the government responded by pointing out that none of the taxes paid to Ottawa on gas goes into roads and that the reason for the 20% not being put into the road system is to pay down the debt from the Tory regeim that was in power a decade ago. These arguments may be fun for the politicians but for the motorist the provinces highways are deadly serious. A service man working for Faster Than Light Communications lost control of the truck he was driving on highway 33 when the vehicle was thrown into the ditch by the disfigured surface that is consider a highway between Regina and Stoughton. In that incident the driver's experience on the Cumberland House road paid off and he was able to prevent a roll over but many other are not so lucky. Highway conditions in many parts of the province are completely unacceptable. However, in the Tisdale area Department of highways crews were out in force this morning with a repair crew loading up equipment around eight this morning and heading East while this paint crew is sprucing up # 3 between Tisdale and the junction at Crooked River. Highways crews are doing what they can with the resources available and they are facing an impossible task of reconstructing highways destroyed by moving the produce that once was moved by rail.