Provincial Transportation Minister Bill Fraser is defending the decision to award a contract for salt to be used next winter to a company outside the province.
Fraser says the government was told by the company it could not supply salt next winter so there was a call for bids.
Three Conservative MLAs in the southern part of the province complained jobs will be lost in their ridings but Fraser is accusing them of trying to score cheap political points and adds they would be screaming even louder if there wasn’t enough road salt next winter to go around.
Fraser says there will be additional pickup points for the salt under the new arrangement including the ports of Saint John and Belledune. That change will result in more economic activity at the ports according to Fraser.
