Gatineau, March 12, 2008 – Acting on behalf of Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier of Quebec and Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions, Benoît Pelletier, Ministre responsable de la région de l'Outaouais and Member of the National Assembly for Chapleau, and his provincial colleagues representing the Outaouais, Charlotte L'Écuyer, Stéphanie Vallée, Roch Cholette and Norman MacMillan, today joined the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, in announcing that the City of Gatineau will receive $100,000 in joint government funding under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF).
This financial assistance will be used to conduct research and development on the creation of a two-way computerized link between the Aqua Cad suite of software and existing applications used by municipalities, including the City of Gatineau. One of the key interventions will involve synchronizing the Aqua Cad data with the City's corporate data base in order to facilitate the updating of information on the water supply, sewer and road networks and help make this data more user-friendly for the City's various departments. Some 245,000 people will benefit from these upgrades. Aqua Cad software is widely used for analyzing and managing water supply and sewer systems throughout Quebec. The link developed through this project will make it possible to access any of the modules used by municipalities and consulting engineering firms.
Completion of this project will necessitate an overall eligible investment of $150,000 under component 2 of the MRIF, toward which the Government of Quebec and Government of Canada will each contribute $50,000, for a combined total of $100,000 in government assistance. The Municipality of Gatineau, for its part, will also pay the equivalent amount of $50,000 toward the project.
Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau said he is pleased to see this project proceed, as it is considered a priority for the development of the municipality and one that will help ensure the renewal of municipal infrastructure within a perspective of sustainable development.
The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is a cost-sharing initiative of the Government of Quebec and Government of Canada. The recent injection of an additional $80 million into component 3 of the MRIF brings to $470 million the total amount of financial assistance available under the Fund. With the financial participation of municipalities and organizations, this initiative could result in the execution of more than $700 million in infrastructure work. The objectives of the MRIF are to upgrade community infrastructure, improve the quality of the environment, promote long-term economic growth and enhance citizens' quality of life.
The program, which is in force until March 31, 2010, is administered by Quebec's Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions. Canada Economic Development is responsible for delivering the federal portion of the MRIF on behalf of the Government of Canada.
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Sources:
Johanne Levesque
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
Ministère des Affaires municipales
et des Régions
514-873-6910
Information:
Jonathan Trudeau
Press Secretary
Office of the Deputy Premier and
Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions
418-691-2050
514-873-2622
Véronique Milot
Regional Press Secretary
Office of the Ministre responsable de l'Outaouais and
MNA for Chapleau
819-246-4558
Jean-Philippe Payment
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Canada Economic Development
819-953-5646
Marie-Claude Lemire
Communications Advisor
Canada Economic Development
514-283-2199
514-895-6237
