Cochrane, Ontario, September 21, 2012 – The Town of Cochrane is now benefitting from a new recycling transfer station that allows residents to efficiently dispose of community waste and reduce environmental impacts.
"Our Government is proud to invest in local priorities that help protect the environment,"
said Jay Aspin, Member of Parliament for Nipissing–Timiskaming, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "We are delivering long-term infrastructure funding to support municipalities, create jobs and spur economic growth across Canada."
"The Town of Cochrane prides itself in being a progressive and forward thinking community. Our youth have encouraged us to go in this direction along with our citizens at large. Our Council recognizes the merits both from an environmental standpoint and a fiscal one. Thanks to the Gas Tax Fund, we are able to afford getting this program up and running. The real beneficiaries going forward will be the people of Cochrane along with the planet,"
stated Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis.
The innovative transfer facility was constructed from five recycled containers that previously had been used for shipping goods internationally. In addition, the exterior of the facility has been encased in a green screen, made from recycled materials that can be used by production companies for filming movies or television shows. The transfer station will be used to store metal and paper that is collected for recycling. When enough material is collected, the Town forwards it to Rouyn-Noranda for processing. By increasing its recycling capacity, the Town will extend the life of its landfill site by offsetting the amount of waste that is sent there.
The Town of Cochrane's recycling program generates close to $60,000 per year in operational savings and provides a sustainable waste management system that helps to protect the environment over the long term.
The total project cost for the construction of the recycling transfer station was $150,290. The Town of Cochrane has directed $78,522 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation towards the total eligible project cost. The remaining $71,768 of the total project cost has been provided be the Town through its Continuous Improvement Fund.
"Canada's Gas Tax Fund acknowledges that all orders of government must work together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in our municipalities," said Russ Powers, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). "Stable and predictable, the Gas Tax Fund is supporting long-term investment in local priority projects right across Ontario."
The Gas Tax Fund provides stable, long-term funding to local governments to help them build and improve public infrastructure. In December 2011, the Government of Canada passed legislation to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent annual investment of $2 billion per year. The Government of Canada, through the Gas Tax Fund alone, provides $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. Between 2010 and 2014, the Town of Cochrane will receive $1,346,510 from the Gas Tax Fund.
The Government of Canada has engaged provinces, territories, municipalities and key stakeholders in a series of roundtables to guide the development of a new long-term infrastructure plan that will support job creation, economic growth and prosperity. We have heard that we are on the right track: there is a need for strong, sustained investment and we must continue to work together moving forward. To improve infrastructure across Canada and leverage new investment, our new long-term plan will encourage greater use of public-private partnerships, while respecting the capacity of Canadian taxpayers.
For further information on the Government of Canada's infrastructure investments in Ontario and to stay up-to-date with Web feeds, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
For additional information, please contact:
Geneviève Sicard
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Shane D. Skinner
Town of Cochrane
705-272-5064
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
