PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE
CANADA-ONTARIO PARTNERSHIP AND INVESTMENTS OF MORE THAN $2.5 BILLION IN ONTARIO
COMMUNITIES
October 20, 2000
Ottawa, Ontario
Today, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, accompanied by Premier Mike Harris of
Ontario, as well as by the Honourable David Collenette, Minister of Transport
for Canada and Minister responsible for the Greater Toronto Area, and by the
Honourable Ernie Eves, Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier of Ontario,
announced the signing of the Infrastructure Canada – Ontario Partnership
Agreement in Toronto.
"This is great news for the people of Ontario," said Prime Minister
Chrétien. "This agreement – just like the ones we now have signed with
all the other provinces – will generate new investments that will improve the
quality of life of millions of Canadians in communities across Canada. This is
the kind of team work Canadians want and deserve from their governments"
Under this agreement the Government of Canada will invest over $680 million
over six years, to complement the Government of Ontario’s SuperBuild
investment of $1.9 billion over five years in Ontario’s community
infrastructure. This combined investment of more than $2.5 billion will be used
to partner with Ontario’s municipalities through the Government of Ontario’s
SuperBuild initiative.
An important priority of the Infrastructure Canada – Ontario partnership is
green municipal infrastructure, particularly water and sewer systems. Other
priorities for the Infrastructure Canada – Ontario partnership include sport,
culture and tourism infrastructure.
As part of its commitment to undertake initiatives that make a long-term
contribution to a dynamic economy, the federal government has allocated $2.65
billion for its share of a new cost-shared physical infrastructure program.
Infrastructure Canada deals with municipal infrastructure. A strategic highways
component, with funding of up to $600 million of the total allocation, is
administered by Transport Canada.
Through the Infrastructure Canada partnership, federal, provincial,
territorial and municipal governments will invest a total of $6 billion in
municipal infrastructure in urban and rural communities across Canada.
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PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555
Visit the Infrastructure Canada Web
Site: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/ino-bni
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Infrastructure Canada – Program Fact Sheet
· In the last Budget, the Government of Canada
announced $2.65 billion for physical infrastructure. Of this amount, up to $600
million will be allocated to strategic highways infrastructure to be
administered by Transport Canada. With contributions from our provincial,
territorial and municipal partners, and the private sector, Infrastructure
Canada will generate at least $6 billion in total infrastructure investment.
· The Government of Canada will contribute up to
one-third of the cost of individual projects. This contribution could be higher
in some instances, as long as Government of Canada funding does not exceed
one-third of the total cost of projects funded in a given fiscal year.
· The Infrastructure Canada program is based on
partnerships with provincial and territorial governments and municipal
associations. All orders of government have played an important part in the
design of this new program.
· Infrastructure Canada has been designed with a
bottom-up approach. Accordingly, municipalities will play an important role in
the program. The majority of projects will be selected from proposals submitted
by municipalities to ensure that the most pressing local needs will be addressed.
The federal and provincial governments may also propose projects, up to a
maximum of 20 per cent of the Infrastructure Canada funds, to ensure that
regional projects, involving more than one municipality, are not overlooked.
· Initial consultations with provinces and
territories, municipal associations and other stakeholders confirmed a
commitment on the part of all jurisdictions to make a long-term contribution to
improving the quality of life and building a more dynamic economy for Canadians.
· Infrastructure Canada’s first priority is
green municipal infrastructure. Investments within the "green"
envelope will include projects related to water and wastewater systems, water
management, solid waste management and recycling, and capital expenditures to
retrofit or improve the energy efficiency of buildings and facilities owned by
local governments.
· The Infrastructure Canada-Ontario agreement
specifies a minimum 40 per cent of the total value of all approved projects must
be invested in green municipal infrastructure.
· Secondary priorities of the program include
cultural and recreational facilities, infrastructure supporting tourism, rural
and remote telecommunications, high-speed Internet access for local public
institutions, local transportation and affordable housing.
· To ensure the infrastructure needs of rural
communities are considered, a minimum 15 per cent of total approved costs for
all projects in Ontario must be invested in projects proposed by rural
municipalities.
· As a next step towards the implementation of
the Infrastructure Canada program, a management committee will be established in
each jurisdiction, with equal representation from the federal and provincial or
territorial governments.
· The management committee will accept and
process project applications submitted by municipal governments in each
jurisdiction. Information about how to submit project applications will be
available soon.
For More Information:
Visit the Infrastructure Canada
Web Site:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/ino-bni
Call the Government of Canada
Information line (toll free):
1 8ŘŘ O-Canada (1 800 622-6232)
TTY/TDD 1 800 465-7735
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