Fredericton, New Brunswick, July 9th, 2008 – New Brunswick communities can look forward to better quality infrastructure thanks to partnership investments in community infrastructure under the Communities Component of Building Canada Fund.
Through the Communities Component, the federal and provincial governments together will invest $66 million between now and 2014, which will help meet the local infrastructure needs and priorities of New Brunswick villages and towns. With matching contributions from communities, the total funding made available under the Communities Component could increase to $99 million over the life of the program.
The Communities Component provides funding towards several categories of infrastructure projects, including water, wastewater, solid waste management, public transit, green energy, and capacity building. Municipalities will be able to submit their applications for the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund as of July 10, at the following address: www.gnb.ca/environment. The deadline for this first intake of applications is October 10, 2008. The focus of this first intake will be water, wastewater infrastructure and capacity building. Projects will be selected by a federal-provincial committee through a competitive process.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable Shawn Graham, Premier of New Brunswick, and by the Honourable Roland Haché, Minister of Environment.
"Today, we are reaching an important milestone in implementing our Building Canada plan in New Brunswick," said Minister Cannon. "For New Brunswickers, having access to clean drinking water is essential for the good of their province. The Communities Component will help them address their infrastructure needs."
"Every day, New Brunswickers work shoulder to shoulder to build a stronger, brighter future for our province," said Minister Thompson, the regional Minister for New Brunswick. "With Building Canada, our government is doing its part to invest in the modern, efficient infrastructure that creates healthy, prosperous communities throughout New Brunswick and across the country."
"Strong infrastructure is vital in order for New Brunswick to remain positioned to be self-sufficient by 2026," said Premier Shawn Graham. "This investment will help facilitate infrastructure projects that are required for New Brunswick to achieve the goal of self-sufficiency and to be a stronger contributor to the national economy."
"In order to be sustainable, all New Brunswick communities need to be supported by quality infrastructure that will protect residents' health and wellness," said Environment Minister Roland Haché. "This funding will serve to promote the sustainability of all our communities so that they'll continue to be places where people can be healthy, safe and prosperous."
On December 7, 2007, the governments of Canada and New Brunswick signed a Framework Agreement under the Building Canada plan, worth $541.62 million over seven years. As part of this agreement, the Government of Canada dedicated $61.49 million for infrastructure projects in New Brunswick under the Building Canada Fund, in addition to the $126 million that had already been committed for the Saint John Harbour clean up and improvements to provincial highways. Of the $61.49 million, $33 million was dedicated to the Communities Component of the Fund, which focuses on infrastructure in communities of less than 100,000 residents. The remainder of the Building Canada Fund will be dedicated to major public infrastructure projects across the province.
Under the Provincial-Territorial Base Funding Initiative, the Province will also receive $25 million annually from 2007 to 2014, for a total of $175 million for infrastructure priorities in New Brunswick. A further $178.5 million will flow to New Brunswick municipalities through the extension of the Gas Tax Fund agreement from 2010 to 2014.
For more information on the Building Canada plan, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca.
For further information contact:
Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Bruce Macfarlane
Corporate Secretary
Regional Development Corporation
506-444-4606
Mike Weston
Department of Environment
505-453-3700
Infrastructure Canada
Communications
613-948-1148
