For Immediate Release
$10 million in new funding for RMs for roads
At the SARM convention in Saskatoon, Premier Lorne Calvert announced a new $10 million in funding for rural municipalities for transportation infrastructure.
The funds will be delivered through two new programs, with the first $5 million for roads to resources.
“SARM has been lobbying for funding to support heavy oil and resource traffic,” said SARM President David Marit. “We were pleased with this announcement, and thank the Premier and the Province for their support.”
The second $5 million is for the implementation of a new primary weight corridor. This money will be delivered through the recently announced Transportation for Economic Advantage program and will be increased to $10 million in 2008-2009.
Details for the announced funding for the primary weight corridor have not yet been released. SARM will be watching to see how this will affect the Clearing the Path (CTP) program’s proposed Primary Weight Corridor.
“We are concerned that the level of funding provided for this year ($5 million) will not be sufficient to get the proposed corridor off the ground,” said Marit. “We had anticipated $10 million this year, which would have provided enough funds to cover our projected increased maintenance costs and some money for construction. At $5 million we are unable to meet even the maintenance commitment. Unless more money can be found, the future of this program is in jeopardy.”
“We will need to work with municipalities on how to implement the program with this limited funding,” said Richard Porter, Clearing the Path transportation chair. “In the long-term, the announced $10 million will address about two-thirds of the anticipated costs of the program, as our estimated costs are $15 million per year.”
For more information contact:
David Marit
SARM President
Cell Phone: (306) 476-7754
Ken Engel
SARM Executive Director
Cell Phone: (306) 536-2948
