Whitehorse, Yukon, May 28, 2010 – As of April 2010, nine First Nations and eight municipalities in Yukon have had 79 Gas Tax Fund (GTF) projects approved since the launch of the program. The projects will result in at least one of the following Gas Tax Fund goals: cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
During the past five years, the Government of Canada has helped Yukon communities deliver environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects through the GTF, which has also been set to become a permanent program as of 2014.
”The Gas Tax Fund allows the Government of Canada to provide communities with stable, predictable and flexible funding for green infrastructure,” said Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird. “We are working together with all levels of government to stimulate regional economies, get shovels in the ground, and create jobs.”
The GTF provides funding for community infrastructure such as drinking water and wastewater systems, roads and bridges, public transit and other environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects.
Over the nine years of the GTF program from 2005 to 2014, Canada is providing a total of $97.5 million to Yukon. This amount reflects the Government of Canada's doubling of the national funding for the Gas Tax Fund from $1 billion to $2 billion.
“Yukon government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and assisting Yukon to adapt effectively to climate change,” Community Services Minister Archie Lang said. “We are pleased that our partnership with Canada has allowed so many communities and First Nations to make much-needed local improvements.”
The GTF also provides funding to increase the capacity of communities to undertake long-term community planning sessions. In Yukon, the development of an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan is a pre-requisite to drawing down funds for infrastructure projects under the GTF. These sessions have provided opportunities to examine and begin planning for long-term environmental sustainability at the local level.
For example, the Village of Teslin has accessed Gas Tax Fund dollars for many extremely vital projects, from developing a community compost site and waste transfer station to reducing water usage in municipal buildings. “These initiatives have helped us move closer to achieving sustainability in our operations by ensuring clean air, water and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” said Teslin Acting Chief Administrative Officer Kristyne Geddes. “We are eager and excited to continue implementing such worthwhile projects.”
Many more success stories can be anticipated as Yukon communities continue to upgrade systems and realize new efficiencies, cost savings and benefits to the local, regional and global environment. To read the 2009 Outcomes Report and see a complete list of projects supported through the GTF, visit www.infrastructure.gov.yk.ca.
Please see the backgrounder for a list of projects completed to date.
For further information contact:
James Kusie
Office of Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister
613-991-0700
Cathrine Morginn
Communications Coordinator
Department of Community Services
Government of Yukon
867-456-3938
Roxanne Vallevand
Cabinet Communications
Government of Yukon
867-633-7949
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
Gas Tax Fund Projects Completed In Yukon
The federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) supports environmentally sustainable community infrastructure that contributes to cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Eligible categories of investment include public transit, water and wastewater infrastructure, community energy systems, solid waste management, and local roads and bridges that enhance sustainability outcomes. The GTF also provides funding to increase the capacity of communities to undertake long-term planning. As of December 2009, drinking water, capacity building, building system improvements, and wastewater projects constituted 75 per cent of the applications approved for Gas Tax funding in Yukon.
Yukon’s Gas Tax funds are divided among municipalities (68 per cent), First Nations (25 per cent), and the Yukon government on behalf of unincorporated communities (7 per cent).
To date, there are 11 completed Gas Tax Fund projects in Yukon.
