No. H063/06For release June 26, 2006
HALIFAX — The Government of Canada will award $57,000 to a
winning project in Nova Scotia that advances transportation planning and
enhances integration and connections between modes. The project is being funded
under the Transportation Planning and Modal Integration initiatives, as
announced today by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities.
"This project will help to investigate how we can better combine transportation
modes for greater efficiency and integration of the transportation system," said
Minister Cannon. "It also demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment and
willingness to encourage innovation and creativity to solve current
transportation challenges."
"I am very pleased that Halifax will benefit from this program," said the
Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "A sustainable and efficient
transportation system plays an important role in ensuring Canada's competitive
success in global trade where markets are increasingly in competition with one
another."
The Halifax Regional Municipality will receive up to $57,000 to develop a
business plan for the construction and operation of an inland terminal at Rocky
Lake in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The project will build on the
findings of a previous Halifax Inland Terminal and Trucking Options Study.
Under the Transportation Planning and Modal Integration initiatives, applicants
can submit project ideas to Transport Canada, which then selects and contributes
funding to the successful projects.
As part of the selection process, successful projects have to meet one or more
of the following objectives:
support trade, tourism and traffic flows through integrated surface
transportation corridors;
enhance integration and improve connections between modes, through
infrastructure and technology initiatives;
increase transportation mobility, safety, security and efficiency for private,
public and commercial system users;
promote the integration of sustainable transportation principles into
transportation decisions; or
improve data collection for more effective policy planning and operational
management.
To date, approximately $5 million in funding has been granted to a total of 45
projects across the country, including the project announced today.The
Government of Canada encourages the development of innovative approaches to
transportation issues to boost the efficiency and integration of the
transportation system as a whole and ensure its sustainability. By supporting
the development of transportation-related expertise and research in the public,
private and academic sectors, Transport Canada can foster the innovation that
will be required to help our transportation system adapt to the challenges of
the future. Funding for the Transportation Planning and Modal Integration
initiatives is part of the Government of Canada's $600-million Strategic Highway
Infrastructure Program and is built into the existing financial framework.
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Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities,
Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Linda Licari
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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