Brantford, Ontario, June 20, 2008 -The Wayne Gretzky Trail Bridges over Highway 403 and the adjacent railway corridor in Brantford were officially opened today by Gary Goodyear, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Dr. Helena Jaczek, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Health Promotion, and Mike Hancock, Mayor of Brantford.
The two bridges are part of a new 1.5-km link that joins sections of an existing 40-km network of walking and cycling trails. It provides safe access over Highway 403 and the main line of the CN Railway along the Wayne Gretzky Parkway, from Henry Street to Edmondson Street.
The bridges were built on schedule and on budget at a total cost of approximately $3 million. The Government of Canada's federal Gas Tax Fund provided $1 million and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Promotion provided the remaining $2 million.
"Through the Gas Tax Fund, we are providing real financial support to infrastructure projects that improve community life and promote a healthy lifestyle in Brantford," said MP Goodyear. "The Government of Canada understands the importance of environmentally sustainable infrastructure for municipalities across Canada."
The federal Gas Tax Fund supports environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure including investments that contribute to cleaner air and water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Eligible categories of investment include public transit, water and wastewater infrastructure, community energy systems, the management of solid waste, and local roads and bridges. Budget 2008 announced that the Gas Tax Fund would become permanent beyond 2013-2014 at $2 billion per year. The federal Gas Tax Fund is an important piece of the Government of Canada's unprecedented $33 billion Building Canada infrastructure plan. The plan is providing long-term, stable and predictable funding to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada and will focus on projects that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits to all Canadians.
"The province's investment in the Wayne Gretzky Parkway Multi-Use Trail supports our priority of building a healthier Ontario by encouraging people to be more physically active," said Dr. Jaczek. "These trail bridges are giving Brantford residents greater access to trails for recreation while strengthening our economy through infrastructure development."
The Ontario Government's investment to develop this portion of Brantford's trail network was part of a $190 million economic stimulus package announced in the 2006 Fall Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. A key component of this stimulus package was to boost jobs and growth through tourism and improved infrastructure.
"These projects are about keeping our community safe for future generations," said Mayor Hancock. "Brantford residents are benefiting from stable, long-term funding for municipal infrastructure."
"The federal Gas Tax Fund and the Ontario Government's investment programs recognize that all orders of government must work together in order to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in Ontario," said Doug Reycraft, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). "Their funding is supporting hundreds of important infrastructure projects and is critical to Ontario's competitiveness and environmental sustainability."
For more information, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca.
Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Julie Rosenberg
Communications Branch
Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion
416-326-4833
Brian Lambie
Media Contact
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
416-729-5425
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
