It would be unfair to label last week’s announcement of a $1.3 million, five-year pilot project addressing emergency response on Highway 63 as a band-aid solution.
But by the same token, it would inaccurate to call it a long-term solution, either.
In the short term, the April 11 announcement addresses the need for prompt emergency response along Highway 63 by creating four full-time first responder positions, which will help fill the void created by the lack of volunteer resources. As well, the addition of speed indicators on emergency vehicles will help with prevention, over and above the success already achieved by the increased presence of RCMP and Alberta Sheriffs along the route.
Big questions remain, however, about the funding set-up.
It’s curious that Athabasca County would so willingly part with $500,000 for this project, when Highway 63 is a provincial highway, and the vast majority of its users aren’t county residents. Reeve David Yurdiga spoke about bringing industry and other municipalities, such as Wood Buffalo and Lac La Biche, into the funding agreement; it raises the question of why they aren’t part of the equation already.
