Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre wants Sudbury council to decide on Maley Drive extension
Liberal MP Marc Serre says he'll lobby for the money, but first needs to know if Sudbury council will commit
Debate about the Maley Drive extension will come down to a vote next week at Sudbury city council.
Mayor Brian Bigger will ask councillors to reaffirm their support for the project.
If they don't, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre tells CBC News he won't push the federal government to fund the extension.
"If council votes against it, I'll respect their decision and I'll stop advocating for Maley Drive in Ottawa — and then I'll wait for council to have other infrastructure priorities," he said.
Serre noted the economic spinoff to the Maley Drive extension would create more than 700 jobs.
But, the federal government still needs to commit to paying its share of the bill before construction can proceed, and Serre said it's hard to be advocating for the cause if city councillors aren't clear on how they feel about it.
"I ran an election campaign last fall [with] an agenda of growth, investment and community, [and] working closely with municipalities," he said.
"I want to be advocating and I want to make sure that this is a priority for the municipality."
POLL: Do you think Greater Sudbury should build the Maley Drive extension?