PS Braid Highlights Government of Canada's Support for Infrastructure
August 18, 2014 – Toronto, Ontario – Infrastructure Canada
Peter Braid, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Kitchener—Waterloo, spoke today at the Canadian Public Works Association's Luncheon during the American Public Works Association's International Congress and Exposition, hosted by the Ontario Public Works Association. He spoke about the New Building Canada Plan, the renewed federal Gas Tax Fund and what these programs mean for municipalities across Canada.
The New Building Canada Plan is the largest and longest federal infrastructure plan in Canada's history. This unprecedented commitment will provide $53 billion over the next decade to support provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure that enhances economic growth, job creation and productivity.
As part of the New Building Canada Plan, the renewed federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) provides predictable, long-term, stable funding for Canadian municipalities to help them build and revitalize their local public infrastructure while creating jobs and long term prosperity.
Since 2006, significant improvements have been made to the GTF. The GTF has been extended, doubled, indexed and made permanent, and the eligible categories have been expanded, providing municipalities with more flexibility than ever before to support local infrastructure. By enshrining these commitments in legislation, provinces, territories and municipalities are assured of an ongoing funding stream to address their municipal infrastructure needs and priorities.
- In total, the New Building Canada Plan will provide $53 billion in funding to communities across the country over the next decade. For Ontario, this represents approximately $11 billion in dedicated federal funding, including more than $2.7 billion under the New Building Canada Fund and an estimated $8.12 billion under the federal Gas Tax Fund*. Ontario also stands to benefit from the Government of Canada's following national funding programs:
- $4 billion available across the country for projects of national significance;
- $1.25 billion in additional funding available for P3 projects;
- $10.4 billion via the GST Rebate, which provides municipalities across the country with additional resources to address their infrastructure priorities.
- Eligible investment categories under the federal Gas Tax Fund include: drinking water; wastewater; solid waste; public transit; local roads and bridges; community energy systems; capacity building; disaster mitigation; broadband connectivity; highways; short-line rail; short-sea shipping; brownfield redevelopment; regional and local airports; and projects supporting culture, tourism, sport and recreation.
[*]NOTE: GTF funding by jurisdiction for the first five years (2014-2019) is based on 2011 Census data. GTF funding for 2019-2024 will be based on 2016 Census data. For illustrative purposes, Census 2011 data has been used for all 10 years. Due to the indexation of the GTF, funding for 2019-2024 is expected to be at least equal to GTF funding for the first five years.
Vincent Rabault
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
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll-free 1-877-250-7154
Email: media@infc.gc.ca
Twitter: @INFC_eng
Website: Infrastructure Canada
