Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, October 2, 2009 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today joined Pierre Moreau, Chief Government Whip for the Government of Quebec and Member of the National Assembly for Châteauguay, acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, in announcing that the City of Sainte-Catherine will receive $2,702,848 in joint government funding under the Communities component of the Canada Building Fund – Quebec for infrastructure work.
The government assistance will be used to completely reconstruct a 900-metre section of Saint-Laurent Boulevard between Centrale Street and 1st Avenue, as well as rehabilitate the water and sewer infrastructure under the same section. This artery provides direct access to Highway 30, port and train facilities and the Sainte-Catherine industrial park. These improvements will help ensure the industrial park’s next steps and further the economic success of this sector, with the potential establishment of some 50 industrial buildings leading to the creation of more than 600 new jobs. The project also provides for the development of a multipurpose bikeway and pedestrian walkway, which meets a need expressed by the population. This bikeway ties in with Sainte-Catherine’s cycling network development plan and will have positive effects on the quality of life of residents and their living environment.
This work will directly benefit more than 16,300 local residents as well as the businesses located in the Sainte-Catherine industrial park.
“The project announced today will benefit a considerable number of residents in the municipality of Sainte Catherine. We are proud to be able to offer citizens the high quality of life for which our country is famous. It is important for the Government of Canada to ensure that each and every community has quality public infrastructure, particularly when it comes to health and safety. Public infrastructure renewal is part of our larger action plan to help Canada’s communities flourish and prosper in a healthy environment,” said Minister of State Denis Lebel.
”In supporting this major project, the Government of Quebec is moving forward to ensure the province’s municipalities have infrastructure that suits their unique realities while fostering sustainable development, a key element of any modern, wealth-building economy. By injecting new capital into the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, our government is looking to accelerate the execution of numerous infrastructure projects throughout the province in an effort to improve the well-being of Quebecers, create jobs and promote a high-performance economy,” added MNA Pierre Moreau.
Sainte-Catherine Mayor Jocelyne Bates, for her part, said she was delighted to see this major infrastructure project move forward in her community because it will help consolidate Sainte-Catherine’s economic development, for the benefit of residents and local and regional businesses alike. “Our efforts these past two years to finalize this financial partnership have at last been rewarded. The benefits deriving from this industrial development project are unprecedented for the City of Sainte-Catherine; they will allow us to open our city to new industries, create numerous new jobs and increase the collective wealth and quality of life of our citizens,“ stated Mayor Bates.
Completion of this project will necessitate an overall eligible investment of $4,054,273. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $1,351,424 toward the work, for a total of $2,702,848 in combined government funding, while the City of Sainte-Catherine will, for its part, invest $1,351,425 in the project.
The Communities component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec is a cost-sharing initiative aimed at funding infrastructure projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. These communities are thus able to use this assistance to improve infrastructure that is in major need of revitalization, including water treatment plants, water supply systems and cultural and sports centres.
An unprecedented funding commitment on the part of the Government of Canada, the Building Canada Fund – Quebec provides stable and predictable funding to support infrastructure projects. In Quebec, nearly $4 billion will be allocated to that end.
The contribution from the Government of Canada has been awarded through Canada’s Economic Action Plan. To learn more about this plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca
For further details on the Building Canada Fund – Quebec or the process for submitting a funding application, see www.buildingcanada.gc.ca and www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
Catherine Vallée
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 514-283-0368
Sylvain Bourassa
Press Secretary
Office of the Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy
Tel.: 418-691-2050
Andrée-Lyne Hallé
Press Secretary
Office of the Chief Government Whip
Tel.: 418-643-6018
Johanne Levesque
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
Department of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy of Quebec
Tel.: 514-873-6403, ext. 6146
