MP Gallant Announces $35, 818,773 Infrastructure Funding Infrastructure Activity in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke a Partnership Between all three levels of Government

June 05, 2009

RENFREW-NIPISSING-PEMBROKE, ONTARIO… MP Cheryl Gallant, (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke), is pleased to confirm that over the next two years, the Federal, provincial and local municipal governments will be participating in $35,818,773 of job creation activity as part of the “Building Canada,” “Infrastructure Stimulus” programs announced in the last federal budget.

“Under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, our Government is getting shovels in the ground and flowing money faster to stimulate the economy and create jobs for the people of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke,” said Cheryl Gallant, MP. “Thanks to the effective relationship between our Prime Minister and his Conservative caucus, we were able to impress upon him the need to continue to provide steady competent leadership on the economy and to act quickly. We need to keep people employed. With our ability to co-operate with the province to get the job done, we are working together to help all our communities and the local economy thrive immediately and in the future.”

Under the Building Canada and the Infrastructure Stimulus programs, the governments of Canada and Ontario will each invest up to one third of the net eligible costs in each project. Municipalities will contribute the balance of the total eligible project cost.

“This funding announcement compliments nicely with our Conservative government’s earlier decision to accelerate federal gas tax fund transfers to municipalities to assist local ratepayers. Moving federal funds quickly has placed all municipalities in a better financial position to fund their portion of infrastructure construction,” stated MP Gallant.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government has established a new $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund that provides funding to provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Funding to Ontario communities, which will be matched by the government of Ontario as part of its 2009 provincial budget, Confronting the Challenge: Building our economic Future, is available for two years for projects that will be built during the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons.

“With all the local construction that will be taking place this summer and next, I urge all motorists to be cautious on the roads and be patient with the inevitable delays that will result from all this activity,” concluded Cheryl Gallant, MP.