Last year, we took a little heat for criticizing the government for not including capital funding for the Highway 1A and Highway 22 interchange upgrades in the last budget. While the people from the government demanding an apology had a lot of reasons why it was not in the budget not one would guarantee it would be in the next round of financing. That all being said, at the time we agreed if the province did fund it this year we would acknowledge that our criticism might have been a bit harsh. We are going to go out on a limb and give our kudos to the province for actually following through on this commitment. It's a hesitant high five as the budget has yet to be drawn or even signed and there is a lot of work that has to be done before construction even starts. However, If the government's timelines are accurate then construction won't start on the interchange before the next election, which would be a true testament to this government's resolve. Rachel Notley's approval ratings have been on the upswing since she took aim at the federal government following the stall of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. At the time, she told the federal government Alberta would pull out of the national climate plan if Ottawa can't get the project back on track after the new 22-week review is complete. However, the surge that has brought Notley's government out of the basement to 35 per cent and 41 per cent approval – depending on the poll – from an abysmal 28 per cent still leaves her trailing the United Conservative Party (UCP). If the election was held tomorrow, Jason Kenney, if you believe the polls, would be the next premier. There is no way to speculate whether or not the UCP, which has often touted the need for more fiscal restraint – would shelve the interchange program. If that were to happen, the NDP could simply wash its hands of the responsibility and point the finger at the UCP for scrapping the long-overdue upgrade. So while we cautiously express our contentment with the province affirming its commitment to the project and will show good faith the funding will be in the budget when it is signed, the true test is if everything is in place for construction to begin before the next election. If that happens, Cochranites can be confident there will finally be movement on this contentious issue. If it doesn't happen, then we will know the goal was vote buying and not community building.
