No. H039/13
For release - April 2, 2013
REGINA —Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament for Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, today announced funding to expand and modernize the North Portal Border Crossing. This announcement follows through on commitments in the Beyond the Border Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in December 2011.
"Modern and efficient border crossings are essential to keeping trade moving and our economy on the right track," said MP Lukiwski. "The Harper government will invest up to $10 million for the expansion and modernization of the North Portal's Canada Border Services Agency commercial facility to support the safe, secure and efficient movement of people and goods at the North Portal crossing in Saskatchewan."
The North Portal Border Crossing operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week and is the main Canada-U.S. border crossing in Saskatchewan with almost $12 billion in two-way trade in 2012. North Portal is also an important crossing for travellers with over 92,000 passenger vehicles passing through this point of entry in 2012.
"These improvements will provide increased capacity for commercial traffic and will minimize border wait times, while at the same time strengthening security," added MP Lukiwski. "With the new Building Canada plan, we are delivering the largest investment in infrastructure in Canadian history through Economic Action Plan 2013 – investments that create jobs, economic growth, and provide a high quality of life for families in every city and community across the country."
The Government of Canada has allocated new funding for the North Portal improvements in Economic Action Plan 2012. Funding will flow through the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund.
The $2.1-billion Gateways and Border Crossings Fund (GBCF) is a program used to improve the flow of goods and people between Canada and the rest of the world. GBCF infrastructure funding targets projects that increase the productivity and efficiency of strategic transportation assets of national significance, such as bridges, roads and ports, which are part of international gateways, strategic trade corridors and key land border crossings.
This initiative adds to the government's unprecedented investments in infrastructure, announced in Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013. The government is delivering the new Building Canada plan to construct roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Combined with other federal infrastructure investments, it supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation. Since 2006, the federal government has made unprecedented investments in over 43,000 projects to build roads, bridges, commuter rail and other important public infrastructure.
The project is among key border crossings identified in the Beyond the Border Action Plan which was established with the United States to enhance our mutual security, prosperity and economic competitiveness. The action plan focuses on four areas: addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.
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Contacts:
Geneviève Sicard
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
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