Six members of the Estevan and Weyburn Time to Twin committee will be making their way to Regina on May 14 to meet once again with Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris.
The group said they intend to keep the pressure on the politicians as they pursue a project that will ultimately lead to the twinning of Highways 39 and 6 (south of Regina).
Among those six people will be Souris-Moose Mountain MP Ed Komarnicki who has shuffled some appointments on his calendar to enable him to join the group for the Regina visit.
Marge Young, co-chairwoman of the Time to Twin committee, said it also might be a good time to plan for a public meeting which would allow the local population to share information and insight into a proposal that could be taken to the provincial government for consideration.
Young said Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig played a role in arranging the upcoming meeting with McMorris and added that the committee will be taking fresh statistics and ideas to share with the highways minister.
While it is expected that Komarnicki will be along merely as an observer and listener, his monitoring of the meeting might help the local group kick-start a plea for some federal assistance since the highway is an integral international trading route that accommodates thousands of cross-border heavy hauler trucks every month.
"We have also been invited to attend the June 25 meeting of the Southeast Area Transportation Committee in Carlyle," said Young. "I don't know if they will expect us to make a presentation, or whether we're just being asked to listen and learn a little more. I do know that when the provincial government looks at potential projects, they seek advice from the area transportation committees, so this could be a positive step."
In the meantime, the committee will continue with their letter writing campaigns and urge the public to let their local MLAs and McMorris know of the conditions they face on a daily basis on this particular stretch of highway.
Young said the government is establishing a new Saskatchewan Traffic Safety Committee that will be chaired by MLA Darryl Hickie, and the Time to Twin committee has filed a request to meet with them at their May 28 meeting.
"We were promised that we'd hear back from them no later than May 10 as to whether we'd be invited to attend or not."
Young said that a public meeting in Estevan might be a feasible idea to pursue after their meeting with McMorris, if they can arrange a venue without incurring a major expense in the process.
