The safety and well-being of Canadians remains the Government of Canada’s top priority as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The federal government is taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continues to look ahead to see what more can be done. Investing in infrastructure to create jobs and strengthen local economies is a key part of these initiatives.

“With severe weather events on the rise, it is important we invest in infrastructure that protects Canadians, their homes, and their businesses. Once complete, this important project will help protect LaSalle residents from floods, ensure essential services remain available during floods, and significantly reduce the costs of recovery. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”

Irek Kusmierczyk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion and Member of Parliament for Windsor−Tecumseh, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“Flooding continues to be the most frequent and costly natural disaster in Canada. By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is helping communities, like the Town of LaSalle, increase their resiliency. The DMAF helps protect Canadians by reducing the risk of climate change and the long-term costs associated with replacing infrastructure following natural disasters.”

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

“We are proud to partner with Infrastructure Canada to make the Town of LaSalle’s Disaster Mitigation and Infrastructure Enhancement Project a reality. Flooding has been a concern for Town Council and Administration, and for a number of our residents, for the past few years. This project supports the continued investment that the Town of LaSalle is making in infrastructure, and will continue to make in the future.”

His Worship Marc Bondy, Mayor of the Town of LaSalle

• The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion, 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts. 

• To date, more than $1.8 billion has been announced through DMAF for 62 large-scale infrastructure projects that will help protect communities across the country from the threats of climate change. 

• DMAF is part of the federal government’s Investing in Canada plan, which is providing more than $180 billion over 12 years for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities.

• To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories. 

• The COVID-19 Resilience Stream will help other orders of governments whose finances have been significantly impacted by the pandemic by increasing the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects. 

• The Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will provide up to $31 million in existing federal funding to support communities as they deploy innovative new ways to adapt spaces and services to respond to immediate and ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years.

Associated links

• Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund
• Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund projects in Ontario
• Investing in COVID-19 Community Resilience
• Investing in Canada: Canada’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
• Investing in Canada plan project map

Chantalle Aubertin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
613-949-1759
Chantalle.Aubertin@canada.ca

Dawn Hadre
Communication Officer
Town of LaSalle
519-969-7770 ext 1253
dhadre@lasalle.ca

Media Relations
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
infc.media.infc@canada.ca
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Web: Infrastructure Canada