The Province of New Brunswick needs to Fence Highway 11 from the Belledune Area to the Campbellton area. This is what has been done on Highway 11 so far from the Liberal Government since 2006.
Highway 11 has seen a tiny section of fencing,7.1 km's on Route 11 from Turgeon Road to Rue de la Gare in 2007 and they only plan on fencing 6.5 km's more between Rue de la gar and the Laplante road in 2008!!!!!. It is beyond me why the Department of Transportation is failing to realize that the section of Highway 11 from Belledune to Campbellton is Deadly, it's DANGEROUS! It has had at least 4 fatal collisions in 7 years on that highway and at least 7 non fatal collisions are there are probably many more that I don't know about. but read the statistic and a quote below from a Committee Member from the spring of 2001 for the Belledune Highway 11 Moose Alert Committee.
More than 20 accidents and near hits have been reported in the spring of 2001 between highways 11. A committee member in charge of Monitoring moose sightings at the time commented on the spring 2001 situation.
"As of last week, we had 114 calls in the month of May of reported sightings," "Now they were not all in this area, obviously. Some were down towards Miramichi, and up towards Dalhousie."
Dalhousie is the most northern part in New Brunswick. The Wharfing dock is the most northern point that you can get to in this Province, It's also about halfway between Bathurst and Campbellton. Like I stated above the Province only fenced 7.1 km's of fencing between Belledune and Bathurst-which is actually 3.55 km's as it not 7.l straight kilometres on one side, its both sides of the highway counted to make it 7.1km's. The Provinces plan for Highway 11 in the 2008 budget is 6.5 kilometres between Rue de la gar and the Laplante Road. Now let's analyze this,
from Belledune to Laplante the areas in between there are BELLEDUNE,MADRAN,POINTE-VERTE(Green Point)-Which is where Rue de la Gar is, going from the old road towards the highway is Rue de la gar(Visit Google Maps and you will see what I mean). I refer to it as the old road (route 134) as that was what it was basically referred to after the highway was created Then you have Petit Rocher, where again, going from the old road onto Highway 11, there you have Laplante. Basically its like this, Rue de la Gar is on Highway 11 where Pointe-verte is on the old road and Laplante Road is on Highway 11 where Petit Rocher is on the old road. I am trying to break it down as best as I can without sounding confusing. Going from the old road towards Highway 11 off of both of these roads you get to the points where they are going to fence 6.5 km's of Highway in 2008 between these 2 areas which is actually 3.25 km's because it's made up of both sides combined to get that actual 6.5km's total.
The Government is Completely Ignoring the deadliest spots, From Belledune to Campbellton that area is terrible. It's a long, Dark, Wooded and Rocky area, at one point it crosses a Bridge which is the Benjamin River bridge where a woman collided with a moose on her motorcycle and was killed in June 2006. As I have pointed out on the other areas of my site, The MLA for Dalhousie-Restigouche East, the old Minister of Natural Resources,Donald Arseneault was in the summer of 2006(Before the Provincial Election in Sept.2006)supposedly going door to door getting people in his riding to sign a petition calling on the Lord Government to fence the dangerous section of Highway 11 from Bathurst to Campbellton and I Quote from the CBC article from July 2006.
"The Liberal MLA has looked at the safety statistics along Highway 11 between Bathurst and Campbellton in northern New Brunswick and he says that stretch of road is one of the most dangerous in the province for moose.
His solution: a long electric fence that will keep moose off the highway.
"We have to do something about it before there are any other casualties," he said. "I believe the government has to do something about it. They can't just hide behind their desks counting their pennies."
The fence may be expensive, but he said the provincial government must look beyond the financial cost of the fencing to the human cost of car-moose accidents.
Convincing Fredericton to spend the money won't be easy. That's why Arsenault plans to spend the rest of the summer knocking on doors, collecting names for a petition.
"I plan on taking the time it takes in order to do this," he told CBC News. "If it takes a month, it'll take a month and I plan on knocking on every door. It's an issue that I feel is very important.
"It's not a political issue; this is a very important issue for the residents of my riding."
THERE YOU HAVE IT, DONALD ARSENEAULT, MLA DALHOUSIE-RESTIGOUCHE EAST, MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES ACKNOWLEDGING HIGHWAY 11 BETWEEN BATHURST AND CAMPBELLTON AS ONE OF THE WORST IN THE PROVINCE!.(I've been saying that for years!) HE FURTHER ENFORCED HIS OPINION IN AN EMAIL TO ME IN NOV.2006 SAYING THAT THE FENCING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!! AND NOW ACCORDING TO THE PREMIER ITS NOT. Let's Use his quotes from this article that he was aiming at the PC-Lord Government Shall we and dissect them.
"We have to do something about it before there are any other casualties," he said. "I believe the government has to do something about it. They can't just hide behind their desks counting their pennies."
It appears to me that that's what you and the current Government is doing since Highway 11, Belledune to Campbellton is receiving no fencing, only in between from Belledune to Bathurst.
"It's not a political issue; this is a very important issue for the residents of my riding."
Huuum well looking at it now, whats the result of your hard work knocking on peoples doors for fencing for highway 11 in July 2006? Being re-elected in September and later made a Minister in the Cabinet??. I've done more for this issue then you've ever done and i'm not in a political position, I never have been. i've been fighting this issue longer than you have been a politician. you refuse to answer my questions as to why you told me the fences were going to happen in Nov.06 and it clearly demonstrates where your priorities lie, it certainly doesn't lie in the minds of the residents of your riding. And if you do decide to email me, don't say that "we've announced 12 million for the economy for the north shore just recently" this is a completely different issue. this has nothing to do with jobs or mill closures or anything work related in the Dalhousie area, Yes Dalhousie is suffering and they can use all the help they can get and its good the Federal and Provincial Government has stepped in to help the people and the economy. I love my hometown so if anyone is reading this thinking i'm not supporting this 12 million dollar grant there wrong, im saying this is a different issue. this is a deadly issue and death is permanent, jobs can be replaced. Life Can't! I speak of his email he sent to me in Nov.2006 telling me that the fences are going to be installed from Belledune to Bathurst on one side and Belledune to Campbellton. Below is his email he sent to me how it arrived in my inbox at the time to my webmaster@fencenbhighways.com email address which also sent a carbon copy to 2 other email accounts aswell,ceo@fencenbhighways.com being my current one and another personal one. below is the one from my current address ceo@fencenbhighways.com. I Had to take the >' and the <'s out, because they are HTML codes.
From: "Arseneault, Donald (DNR/MRN)" Donald.Arseneault@gnb.ca
Date: Fri, Nov 03, 2006 1:45 pm
To: ceo@fencenbhighways.com
Cc: "Landry, Denis Hon. (DOT/MDT)" Denis.Landry2@gnb.ca
Subject:RE:Moose Fencing
Good Evening Arron,
I want to thank you for forwarding your concerns and your experience regarding moose fencing in the province of New Brunswick and more specifically northern New Brunswick.
You are absolutely right that there is a high moose activity on our highways between Campbellton and Miramichi. That is why that I have been a strong advocate for moose fencing for our region. My efforts and those of my colleagues and people such as yourself, has convinced Premier Shawn Graham and our new provincial government to commit in fencing 300 km of highways within our first two years of our mandate. This is a commitment that we will honor and I look forward in seeing the Belledune fence be extended on both side to reach both Campbellton and Miramichi.
I hear your concerns and I want to reassure you that I, and my colleagues, are committed in making this initiative a reality.
Thank you,
Donald Arseneault
MLA Dalhousie-Restigouche East
Does Mr. Donald Arseneault(Strange to call him Mr. he's only a few years older than myself) not realize that everything he said to me in that email is a lie. let me break it down for you Donald.
#1-You promised 300 km's of fencing within your first two years of your mandate,which you fell roughly 41 km's short of
#2-You said it was a committment that you and your colleagues including the Premier(whom you and your colleagues "convinced") were going to honor.-?????!
#3-you stated you look forward to seeing the fence in Belledune be extended to reach both Campbellton on one side and Miramichi on the other.-????? Nothing has been installed from Belledune and upwards, and nothing is being planned for it in 2008 and probably not in the future. there have been sections of highway 8 that have been fenced in 2007 and sections of highway 11 from Belledune going south, but NOTHING GOING FROM BELLEDUNE TO CAMPBELLTON, THEREFORE THAT IS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE!
#4-You said "I hear your concerns and I want to reassure you that I, and my colleagues, are committed in making this initiative a reality."-????? It's not reality and its not planned to be a reality the Premier Shawn Graham said so himself in an email to me dated March 12th,2008 which I will reproduce below.
Subject: FW:
From: "Premier Shawn Graham (PO/CPM)"
Dear Mr. Pelletier:
This is in response to your e-mail regarding fencing. I have been advised by the Department of Transportation that they are continuing to erect wildlife fencing at various locations throughout the province in an effort to reduce collisions between vehicles and wildlife. In 2007, the department erected 7.4 km of fencing and one-way gates on Route 8 between Packard Brook and Bass River (just south of Bathurst), 8.1 km from Bartibog River to Little Bartibog River, and 7.1 km on Route 11 from Turgeon Road to Rue de la Gare.
Please note that the capital budget for 2008-09 announced by the department identifies further fencing for Route 8 and Route 11. On Route 8, 12.8 km of fencing and one-way gates will be erected between the Bathurst City limits and Packard Brook and from Bass River to the Route 160 interchange, which also includes one wildlife structure. These projects will address some of the issues to which you make reference. On Route 11 approximately 6.5 km of fencing will be erected between Rue de la Gare and Laplante Road.
As noted on the provincial map denoting the risk of moose vehicle collisions (web site http://www.gnb.ca/0113/moose/alert-e.asp), all areas of the province are at risk of collisions and the department is attempting to address the higher collision prone areas. However, many issues and considerations come into play in developing a fencing strategy (e.g. number of access points along a highway that would be affected, frequency of collisions, etc.). The areas you have noted will continue to be monitored and if warranted, wildlife mitigation measures will be considered for implementation at a future time.
Sincerely,
Shawn Graham
Premier
c.c. Hon. Denis Landry, Minister of Transportation
Note that last line, "the Areas I Identified will continue to be monitored and if warranted, wildlife mitigation measures will be considered for implementation at a future time" Right there it tells me that there is no plans for Highway 11 From Belledune to Campbellton, Why Not???? Donald Arseneault told me it was going to happen in nov.2006! Now It's not???? Why The Change???? Was Donald lying to me to begin with?? Why did he send me that email saying that it was a Committment that your Government was going to honor in your 2 year mandate??? I replied back to the Premier the Night of March 12th and there I quoted pieces of Donald's letter to me from Nov.2006. I thought I would wait to see if I get a response, I didn't, so 15 days later on March 27th I sent Donald's email back to him and the Premier and several other MLAS demanding to know the truth.
Will the Premier say that Donald Misinformed me?????
Why will the Premier not reply to confirm or deny the response Donald gave me in nov.2006?
Why hasn't Donald Arseneault replied back to me to explain himself? or defend himself? or rebut what I am saying? Is he scared to face the truth? that what he said in that email has not become a reality. I Firmly believe that. Perhaps he was appointed a Minister around that time and he was just SO Happy! he told me what I wanted to hear, I don't know, I know that he Does not respond to my emails, neither does the Minister of Transportation Denis Landry, Nor has the spokesperson for The DOT Tracy Burkhardt replied to me, But they are all too happy to shout out the Joy of what they have done for Highway 7! Which I have always said that I AM HAPPY THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS FENCED THE AREAS THAT THEY HAVE. THE MORE FENCES, THE BETTER AND SAFER THE PEOPLE OF NEW BRUNSWICK FEEL. Highway 7 is a VERY BAD Area and I'm glad they have taken action and started fencing there in 2007. They plan to fence 47 more KM's of fencing on Highway 7 this year(2008)which is actually 23.5 km's. But why is Highway 11 from Belledune to Campbellton going to have no fences? It makes no sense, Especially When DONALD ARSENEAULT TOLD ME THEY WERE GOING TO HAPPEN.
Not one MLA or Minister I sent Donald's email to respond back to me up to this point as I write this in Mid May 2008. Only word that three letters comes to my mind, L I E. You are government workers, Public Servants, Elected Officials, Officials We the people Voted in. When you go back on something you say. It really shows how much dedication you have to the Public who elected you. When we write our elected officials we expect a response.
Obviously, I realize the Government has a budget to work with and they can't do everything the people of New Brunswick ask for. However, If The Minister Of Natural Resources MLA for Dalhousie-Restigouche East Donald Arseneault would admit to myself that he and his Government is not fulfilling his promise to not only myself but to the people of New Brunswick he would certainly gain my respect, which he does not have right now.
