Colleen McKee (City of Flin Flon Councillor), Helga Bryant (Northern Health Region CEO), Premier Greg Selinger, and Clarence Pettersen (Flin Flon MLA) celebrate the official opening of the new EMS station in Flin Flon

October 1, 2013 PROVINCE'S BUILDING AND RENEWAL PLAN TO INVEST IN FLIN FLON AREA ROADS, INFRASTRUCTURE – – – Province Committed to Economic Growth: Premier FLIN FLON—The province will invest in upgrades to roads and bridges in the Flin Flon region that will produce a stronger transportation system, create hundreds of jobs and boost the regional economy, Premier Greg Selinger announced here today. “The Flin Flon region has experienced healthy growth in the past decade, thanks in part to major investments in roads and infrastructure,” Selinger said. “The work we are planning to do in the next three years will strengthen the region’s provincial highway system and help create a stronger economy.” The premier said the projects will include: •Phased improvements over several years to a 21-kilometre stretch of PTH 10 between Bakers Narrows and Flin Flon, starting in the 2014 construction season. ◦The initial phase of this project includes intersection improvements and grade realignments to improve the safety of the road. ◦This will be followed by a large grading project and then paving. •Grading and paving a 16-km stretch of PTH 39 from six kilometres west of PR 596 to 10 km east of PR 596. The premier said Flin Flon and Snow Lake will also benefit from provincial investments in municipal road renewal projects through the Municipal Road Improvement Program and other funding. Specific projects include: •repairing and renewing storm drains, new road base, curbs and asphalt topping along a 100-metre stretch of Flin Flon’s Oak Avenue, which provides the main access to municipal recreation facilities, seniors housing and local schools; •renewing 500 m of roads with new asphalt along Elm Avenue and Hemlock Drive, Hart Avenue, Windsor Avenue and Balsam Avenue; •paving of a 200-m section of Copper Road in Snow Lake, following upgrades to municipal utility infrastructure along this section of road in previous years. These road improvements are part of Manitoba’s $1.8-billion Building and Renewal Plan to meet the province’s critical infrastructure needs including flood protection, municipal projects, health centres and schools, as well as roads. The Building and Renewal Plan and the time-limited increase in the PST are building and improving Manitoba roads while stimulating the economy and creating thousands of jobs across the province. “Over the past seven years, the Manitoba government has invested about $340 million in road projects across the north,” Selinger said. “These new investments will help Flin Flon continue to grow and attract more people and businesses." Highlights of completed projects in the Flin Flon area include: •replacing a bridge at Big Island Lake along PTH 10 south of Flin Flon, •resurfacing over 27 km of PTH 10 from Cranberry Portage to Bakers Narrows, and •preserving pavement with a sealcoat treatment on a 35-km section of PTH 291 from Suwanee River to Turnbull Lake access. Motorists are reminded to slow down and use caution approaching and in construction zones, for their own safety and the safety of workers. The latest information on lane closures and road conditions is available anytime at 511 (toll-free), at www.mb511.ca or by following the Twitter account at www.twitter.com/MBGovRoads. - 30 -