Leduc County, Alberta, September 16, 2013 – Local officials gathered today in Leduc County to celebrate the completion of upgrades and enhancements to an important local road that will bring long-lasting benefits to the community.
As one of the accesses to Highway 39, Range Road 263 is well-travelled every day. The project, which started in 2010, involved the sub-grade preparation, gravel base course, base pave and final pave of a roughly eight-kilometre section of Range Road 263 from Glen Park Road to Highway 39.
"Road infrastructure is crucial to our local economy as it connects workers with jobs, and products with markets. Improvements to transportation infrastructure are important for the well-being of our communities,"
said James Rajotte, Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Leduc, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. "We are proud to have invested in this significant project that will contribute to the growth and prosperity of Leduc County."
Leduc County used $709,443 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation toward this project, with the Government of Alberta contributing $4,089,963 through its Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI). Leduc County contributed the remaining $2,930,300 needed to complete this $7.7-million project.
"Our Alberta government is committed to building communities by helping develop critical infrastructure through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative,"
says Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs. "Local transportation projects, such as the development of Range Road 263, help connect friends and neighbours and are essential to the economic vitality of a community and our province."
"Leduc County is thrilled to announce the completion of this large-scale project, which has been a top priority since 2010,"
says Leduc County Mayor John Whaley. "The newly paved stretch will surely improve the commute for the more than 5,000 vehicles that travel this specific stretch of Range Road 263 every week."
The federal Gas Tax Fund transfer 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. In Alberta, the program currently provides over $199.5 million of predictable, long-term funding annually to help municipalities build and revitalize public infrastructure. 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.
Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013 is delivering a New Building Canada Plan to build roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Thanks to the Government of Canada's leadership and our strong economic and financial fundamentals, the Canadian economy has recovered from the global recession better than most other industrialized countries. Canada has been a leader among G-7 countries throughout the recovery with more than one million net new jobs created since July 2009. The New Building Canada Plan, combined with other federal infrastructure investments, supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation.
Since 2007, Alberta's Municipal Sustainability Initiative has provided approximately $4.8 billion to municipalities for more than 8,000 projects identified by municipalities as their local priorities. The Government of Alberta is committed to providing $11.3 billion over the term of the program to municipalities to enhance community sustainability, address local infrastructure needs and enable them to meet the demands of growth.
Incorporated in 1963, Leduc County is a rural municipality located in central Alberta. Encompassing 2,673 square kilometres and divided into seven electoral boundaries, Leduc County has a population of 13,541 residents and 4,965 private dwellings.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure visit Infrastructure Canada or follow us on Twitter at @INFC_eng.
Marie-Josée Paquette (Disponible en français)
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
Magharita Reghelini-Griffiths
Communications
Municipal Affaires of Alberta
780-405-8945
Megan Sarrazin
Communications Coordinator
Leduc County
Email: megans@leduc-county.com
Phone: 780-979-2391
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
