Five regional projects to benefit from over $4 million in federal Gas Tax Fund support
Vernon, British Columbia, Wednesday, July 31, 2013 – The Regional District of North Okanagan is developing plans to transition the Pottery Road Recycling and Disposal Facility into the region's latest outdoor recreation space. The $1.8-million project, which will be funded entirely thanks to the federal Gas Tax Fund, will see the final closure of the Pottery Road landfill facility. This project will reduce the landfill gas and water leaching from the site and is just one of five important projects across the region that will benefit from over $4.15 million provided through the federal Gas Tax Fund.
"Better solid waste management techniques will contribute to the quality of life of residents in Vernon and throughout the Regional District of North Okanagan,"
said Colin Mayes, Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap. "We are proud to invest in infrastructure projects, across the District, as we focus on creating jobs, promoting growth and building strong, prosperous communities across Canada."
The remaining projects benefitting from the Gas Tax Fund include:
- The construction of an EcoDepot, which will provide a convenient one-stop location for recycling a wide range of products including used paint, oil, light bulbs, packaging, electronics and appliances. The federal Gas Tax Fund will provide $100,000 towards the estimated $200,000 total cost of this project, while the Regional District of North Okanagan will provide the remaining $100,000.
- The installation of a gas management system at the Greater Vernon Recycling and Disposal Facility, which will reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. The federal Gas Tax Fund will contribute the full $1.9 million for this project.
- The replacement of the Enderby/Armstrong BC Transit bus to provide better service for residents. The federal Gas Tax Fund will provide $100,000 toward the RDNO share of the total cost of this vehicle.
- The development of Official Community Plan Regional Context Statements project, which will coordinate the local interpretation of regional policies, as the District's electoral areas and municipalities address how their planning and land use policies will work towards the goals and objectives established in the Regional Growth Strategy. The federal Gas Tax Fund will contribute the full cost of this $250,000 project.
"Reclaiming a former landfill for outdoor recreation and its continued use as the fire training facility is a great example of how the Gas Tax benefits communities in a variety of ways,"
said Eric Foster, MLA Vernon — Monashee on behalf of Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. "This whole suite of projects, from the Pottery Road facility and Eco Depot to the new Enderby/Armstrong bus is helping us to do our bit for a healthier environment in the North Okanagan."
"All five of the projects funded by the Gas Tax Program are very important to the North Okanagan,"
stated Patrick Nicol, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Regional District of North Okanagan. "We appreciate the process used to choose these projects and have ensured all of our jurisdictions had their say in how the funding was distributed within the region."
"One of the great benefits of the Gas Tax Fund is that it is flexible enough to support a wide range of local government infrastructure and planning projects,"
said UBCM President Mary Sjostrom. "I am very pleased to see this federal support for solid waste, recreation, recycling, transit and planning improvements throughout the North Okanagan."
The federal Gas Tax Fund provides long-term funding to municipalities across the country to build and revitalize their local infrastructure. The Government of Canada has invested over $10 billion to date in municipal infrastructure through this program, and passed legislation to make it a permanent transfer of $2 billion per year. As part of Economic Action Plan 2013, the Government committed to index the Gas Tax Fund to provide additional funding for communities, starting in 2014. Between 2006 and 2014, British Columbia will receive more than $1.56 billion from the Gas Tax Fund to improve local infrastructure. The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) administers the Gas Tax Fund in BC, in collaboration with Canada and British Columbia.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure and to stay up-to-date with Web feeds, visit Infrastructure Canada.
For further information about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit Canada's Economic Action Plan.
For more information:
Marie-Josée Paquette
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and
Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
613-943-1838
Nicole Kohnert
Manager, Regional Engineering Services
Regional District of North Okanagan
250-550-3741
Communications
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
250-387-4089
Paul Taylor
Director of Communications
UBCM
250-356-2938
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
