MP concerned about Bolsover bridge replacement

Two local Members of Parliament, Jamie Schmale (Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) and Adam Chambers (Simcoe North) are concerned over Parks Canada’s decision to not replace the Boundary Road swing bridge in Bolsover.

“It’s been nearly three years since the bridge was shut down, effectively cutting the community in half, and now, news that there will be no bridge replacement has, understandably, left residents angry and confused,” said Schmale.

Chambers echoed those sentiments. “In its own documents, Parks Canada agreed that the bridge, originally built in 1902, is a cultural (heritage) resource of national historical significance and is an intrinsic part of the heritage landscape,” said the member for Simcoe North. “In fact, before it was demolished in 2020, the bridge was one of five original Simcoe-to-Balsam Lake structures constructed on the Trent Severn Waterway in a similar fashion.”

Residents of Bolsover are now forced to take an alternate, and for many, a highly inconvenient crossing, to get to work or buy food. More importantly, concerns regarding emergency services response times have been raised. The announcement by Parks Canada will put peoples lives at undue risk, note the MPs.

Schmale added that he has communicated with the Hon. Steven Guilbeault, the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change about the matter, and has addressed it in the House of Commons a number of times, but has yet to receive an answer from the Minister. Last year, Chambers and Schmale co-authored a letter to Minister Guilbeault, imploring him to respond to residents’ concerns.

“We have expressed to the Minister that as elected officials, our service to our constituents is our highest priority and that it is incumbent upon us to respond, in a timely manner, to the legitimate concerns of Canadians,” said Chambers.