Duelling infrastructure promises from PCs and Liberals on campaign trail

Stephen McNeil and Jamie Baillie seldomsee eye to eye, but both party leaders were focusing their campaigns Monday on money for roads, buildings and other capital projects.

The Liberal governmentquietly set aside$50 million in the provincial budget tabled last weekfor community projects,butLiberal Leader McNeilwaited until a campaign stop in the Halifax area toannouncethe cash along with a commitment todouble the amount of money his party wouldspend on upgrading 700 kilometres of gravel roadstarting next year.

The governmenthasbudgeted $10 million for gravel road repairs this fiscal year. The Liberals are promisingto spend $20 million a year starting next year.

Gravel road upgrades

"For years, government after government has ignored these roads even though they are in desperate need of repair. Not anymore,"McNeil told reporters whilestanding in frontof a bulldozer and other road repair equipment at a business on the Kearney Lake Road.

He also said the province would work with the federal government to build and renovate key pieces of community and recreational infrastructure in the province.

PCs make 1st major promise

Baillie, leader of the Progressive Conservatives,made his first election campaign promise by pledgingto spend $2 billion on infrastructure over 10 years. He's banking on half of thatmoney comingfrom the federal government.

The Rebuild Nova Scotia Fundwould twin highways over seven years, build a new Victoria General hospital in Halifax, double spending on rural roads and pay for environmental cleanups. It would also provide 100 per cent rural internet access that would be mostly achieved in the first year of a Tory government.

"The best thing we can do at this point in time for our economy is put people to work on these important infrastructure projects," said Baillie.

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A Torycampaign official said the program wouldblend new spending with elements in the current capital plan.

Full platform to come later in campaign

Bailliedeclined toreveal the annual cost and the order of the projects, saying those details would come in the party's platform to be unveiled later in the campaign.

He said the program would be carried out within a balanced budget, but would freeze Nova Scotia's current debt-to-GDP ratio of35.9 per cent.That wouldin effect spend the modest surpluses forecast by the Liberal governmentin itslast budget.

The Liberals forecast the net debt-to-GDP ratio to fall to 33.7 per cent by 2020-21 from 35.9 per cent in 2017-18.

Bailliemade the announcementat insulation manufacturer Guildfords in theBurnsideBusiness Park in Dartmouth. The PC leadertold reporters the infrastructure program would create 10,000 construction jobs.

Baillie calls Bayers Lake land deal 'shady'

He also promised to review the Liberal government's purchase of land for anew outpatient centre in the Bayers Lake retail park in Halifax.

"That deal looks very shady," said Baillie.

"What we do know now is the land was bought for 12 times the assessed value from a Liberal donor.What we do know now is [Halifax Mayor] Mike Savage and the city warned the McNeil government that was not the right place for that facility and yet they ignored those warnings."

The latter was a reference to a report in AllNovaScotia.com that the municipalitytold the provincial governmentinearly April the site had poor transit access and was the worst of four sites under consideration.

McNeil defended the land purchase when asked about the report, saying it was one of 15 sites considered.

He said the municipality's preferred site on the Mainland Common was too small compared to the six hectaresultimately chosen in Bayers Lake.

"We have landed at what is the appropriate site for that facility," he said, adding that a Liberal government would work with the municipality to bring in bus service.