Liberals set the record straight on paving spending
CBC analysis finds 17 of 28 kilometres of road paving was in government districts
P.E.I. Transportation Minister Paula Biggar is responding to an accusation by independent MLA Bushville that millions of dollars in paving was used only in Liberal-held districts in 2017.
Dumville said he received a call when he was still a Liberal MLA about $2 million in paving budget that was all for Liberal districts.
CBC News looked at the extra $2 million spent in 2017 and found that 10 Liberal districts received some of the money, and eight opposition districts — seven held by Progressive Conservatives and also in Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker's district.
When the kilometres of roadwork were added up, it came to about 17 kilometres that were in Liberal-held districts and about 11 kilometres in opposition territory.
Biggar said her department uses a basket of tools — including traffic counts, pavement condition and spring pavement breakup — to prioritize the paving program.
She called Dumville's accusations sour grapes.
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With files from Laura Chapin and Kerry Campbell