No access in West Prince

Liberal MLA calls on government to improve emergency measures in West Prince

West Prince residents deserve a contingency plan for when a section of Route 2 is closed due to an emergency, says Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry.

Perry pressed Public Safety Minister Jordan Brown during Wednesday’s question period to commit to working with first responders to develop a plan specifically for the West Prince region when the road is closed. With a section of Route 2 between Portage and West Devon recently closed for several hours due to an accident, Perry said the highway is the only passage to many communities, including the towns of O’Leary, Alberton and Tignish.

“This is obviously concerning. When the road closes, it means there’s no other way to get into West Prince or, heaven forbid, try to leave in case of an emergency. All access is cut off,” said Perry, who asked how emergency vehicles such as ambulances or firetrucks can get through the area during a closure “Residents need to know – and they deserve to know – that if something happens in that area on Route 2 there is a contingency plan.” Brown said the P.E.I. Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) is responsible for maintaining the province’s all hazards emergency plan, which can be found online and outlines the roles for government departments during an emergency. Brown said EMO updates the plan regularly and is open to input, although he also noted the plan does not focus on specific emergencies.

“I would say it would be impossible to develop a plan that would list all of the different emergencies and responses,” said Brown, adding that an emergency response is always dependent on the specifics of a situation.

“If the road was blocked, EMS for example might do a patient transfer at the site of the blocked area. It would depend on what the emergency is and how long it would last.”

Perry said the province should create an immediate short-term solution as well as a long-term solution.

“Maybe extending the Canada Road up to the Cascumpec Road so West Prince residents have an alternate route,” said Perry.