Fort St. John, British Columbia, September 4, 2008 - The Honourable Jay Hill, Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip as well as Member of Parliament for Prince George–Peace River, on behalf of the Honour rable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Richard Neufeld, MLA for Peace River North, today announced $14.8 million in joint funding to support a highway improvement initiative along Highway 97 between Road 271 and Charlie Lake in British Columbia. Federal funding support for the upgrades to Highway 97 comes from the Provincial-Territorial (PT) Base Fund, under the Building Canada plan.
"This investment in upgrades to Highway 97 builds o n the commitments of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and our government to improve highway safety across Canada," said MP Hill. "Through our Building Canada plan these rural highways continue to be an integral part of the National Highw ay System, connecting remote communities with larger economic centres."
The highway improvement will involve creating four lanes along a 3.2-km stretch of Highway 97 (Alaska Highway) from Road 271 to Charlie Lake. The initiative is expe cted to be completed by Fall 2009.
"By expanding Highway 97, this initiative is improving safety and providing further opportunity for commercial and tourism growth," said MLA Neufeld. "I'm pleased to see provincial a nd federal levels of government working together and investing in this community."
This initiative is part of a series of announcements taking place in BC. The Government of Canada and the Province of BC. will fund up to $231 million wor th of National Highway System improvements in the province, under the Building Canada plan.
Federal funding for these investments comes from the $33-billion Building Canada plan.
On November 6, 2007, the Govern ment of Canada and the Province of British Columbia signed an Infrastructure Framework Agreement under Building Canada worth $2.2 billion for infrastructure initiatives from 2007 to 2014. On July 7, 2008, the two governments also launched a call for infrastructure initiatives in smaller communities to be funded under this larger plan.
Catherine Loubier
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Dave Crebo
Communications Director
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250-387-7787
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
