Alberta monitors, makes contingency plans on road clearing in UK firm bankruptcy

EDMONTON – Alberta’s transportation minister says they are making contingency plans to clear and maintain roads as they monitor the financial fallout of a multinational United Kingdom construction company.

Brian Mason says for now they believe the bankruptcy of Carillion PLC won’t affect the operations of its Canadian subsidiary.

Carillion Canada maintains more than 40 per cent of Alberta’s highways.

It also has operations in Ontario, including the renovations of Toronto’s Union Station.

Mason said the province privatized road maintenance services under the previous Progressive Conservative government.

He says the government is reviewing road maintenance, but said for now there’s no plan to move away from the privatized model.

“We’ve certainly looked at the various options (but) I don’t think that that’s a direction that we’re going to be going right now,” Mason said Tuesday.

A spokesman for Carillion Canada has said it’s business as usual in Canada despite the parent company’s collapse on Monday. Cody Johnstone said Carillion Canada is not in liquidation and its 6,000 employees in Canada continue to be paid, along with its subcontractors and suppliers.

The British construction giant went into compulsory liquidation after weekend talks with creditors failed to get the short-term financing it needed to continue operating.