WHEREAS the Provincial Government receives revenue from land sales; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government receives royalties from resources; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government receives revenue from the taxation of petroleum product sales; and

WHEREAS highways, roads and infrastructure in the areas of the province from which these resources are taken are severely stressed and damaged;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the Provincial Government to allocate extra revenue to replace crumbling highways in resource areas of the province.

Response from Honourable Don McMorris, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure:

This Resolution addresses SARM's request of the provincial government to allocate extra funding for highways in resource areas.

The Ministry has developed a comprehensive Rural Highways Strategy (RHS) to prioritize provincial wide capital investment for rural highway upgrading using multiple engineering, economic and social factors. The extra traffic generated by industry in resource areas and their impacts have been captured in the RHS prioritization assessment process.

The Ministry has a comprehensive Asset Management System which monitors the provincial highway pavement conditions. The possible accelerated highway deteriorations in resource areas due to traffic increase are assessed and provincially prioritized for preservation treatments (including overlay, or repaving) within the Ministry's budget.

The Ministry funds the Municipal Roads for the Economy Program (MREP), which is administered by SARM, to provide investment on rural municipal roads. The MREP program funding criteria considers municipal roads in resource areas.

View updated response dated August 17, 2017 from the Ministry of Highways