New federal approach to infrastructure delivers results for the middle class
News Release
Ottawa, Ontario - September 20, 2016
The Government of Canada is committed to making investments that will help create jobs and grow the middle class now while building a strong foundation for a sustainable economic future. Investing in local infrastructure helps ensure that Canadians and their families have safe water to drink, wastewater systems they can rely on, and high-quality public transit systems that get them to work on time and back home safely at the end of a long day.
The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, today highlighted how the Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to roll out Phase 1 of its infrastructure plan and has signed bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories over the summer. He also highlighted how the new programs, combined with the changes made to existing programs allowed to approve more funding for infrastructure projects since last June than in the five previous years combined.
Phase 1 overview:
- Bilateral agreements signed with ten provinces and three territories in the past three months
- 729 projects approved for funding and over 60% already underway
- $2.5 billion in public transit and $677.8 million in water and wastewater projects allocated to specific approved projects in communities across the country
- Over 400 communities across Canada will benefit from these projects
This was made possible by a new approach with our partners that enabled us to invest rapidly in our communities through programs that provide provinces and territories with the ability to identify their priorities and get projects underway rapidly in municipalities across the country.
While Phase 1 was mostly focused on short-term projects around recapitalization, repair, modernization and improving accessibility of existing infrastructure assets, the next phase of our infrastructure plan will focus on the longer term, new, transformative projects our communities need to thrive and compete in today's economy.
We have begun designing the second phase of our long-term infrastructure plan in consultation with our partners. Minister Sohi hosted the first ever federal-provincial-territorial meeting on infrastructure in early September, including participation by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. We have also consulted extensively with Parliamentarians to ensure their feedback is considered. Details of our long term infrastructure plan will be announced in the coming months.
Quote
"The Government of Canada put forward a plan to invest more than $120 billion in infrastructure over the next ten years and we are delivering on our commitments. We invested in projects that middle class Canadians need the most, including modern and reliable public transit, water, wastewater and green energy systems, and social infrastructure. We built stronger partnerships with provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous communities, and listened to stakeholders and Canadians to better understand their needs and priorities for infrastructure. We are confident that our infrastructure plan will not only create jobs and grow the economy, it will build communities where middle class Canadians want to work, live, play and raise a family."
The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Associated Links
Contacts
Brook Simpson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
613-219-0149
brook.simpson@Canada.ca
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
infc.media-medias.infc@canada.ca
Twitter: @INFC_eng
Web: Infrastructure Canada
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