SASKATCHEWAN COMMUNITIES TO BENEFIT FROM PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT: APPLICATION SUBMISSION BEGINS IN JULY
Residents of Saskatchewan communities can look forward to improved infrastructure thanks to partnership investments and up to $189 million in federal and provincial funding under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund.
Over the next six years the federal and provincial governments together will invest close to $94.5 million each, which will help meet the local infrastructure needs, providing funding for valuable priorities including cleaner water and better waste management in Saskatchewan communities with populations under 100,000. With matching contributions from communities, this amount may rise to more than $283 million over the course of the program.
The announcement was made today by Member of Parliament for Blackstrap and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Lynne Yelich, on behalf of Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Lawrence Cannon, and Minister of Municipal Affairs for Saskatchewan Bill Hutchinson.
“I’m excited to be making this announcement today as this represents a significant step forward in helping communities through our Building Canada plan in Saskatchewan,” said Yelich. “The Communities Component of Building Canada provides funding for infrastructure projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000 – helping these communities meet their unique challenges and in turn making Saskatchewan’s economy stronger while contributing to a cleaner environment.”
“Renewing our province’s infrastructure is a priority for this government. By investing wisely in our communities and working together we can ensure the economic success we are seeing today in Saskatchewan is sustainable into the future,” said Hutchinson. “This extremely significant agreement will help make Saskatchewan ‘Ready for Growth’.”
The Communities Component provides funding towards several categories of infrastructure projects: water, wastewater, public transit, national highway system, green energy, disaster mitigation, solid waste management, brownfield remediation and redevelopment, culture, sport, connectivity, local road, shortline rail, short sea shipping, regional and local airports, tourism, and collaborative projects.
Municipalities will be able to submit their applications for the Communities Component as of July 15. Applications for funding will be available at: https://www.municipal.gov.sk.ca/grant-programs/bcf-cc The deadline for this first intake of applications is August 29, 2008.
In the first intake, the federal and provincial governments will allocate a total of $12 million for northern Saskatchewan communities and $50 million for other Saskatchewan communities. Saskatchewan municipalities will match the federal and provincial allocations. All categories are eligible for the first intake of funding. Projects will be rated by a federal-provincial committee through a competitive process.
The total federal funding allocation for Saskatchewan under the Communities Component is close to $94.5 million. This money comes from the $236.22 million the federal government is providing the province through the Building Canada Fund. Under the terms of the Canada/Saskatchewan Building Canada Framework Agreement, the province will match the federal contribution for the Communities Component. The Building Canada Fund is one element of the overall Building Canada plan. Through to 2014, Building Canada will focus on a variety of infrastructure investments that, among other things, contribute to cleaner air, water and land.
Through its unprecedented $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, the federal government is providing long-term, stable and predictable funding to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada. Building Canada will support a stronger, safer and better country. On April 11, 2008 the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced the signing of a Framework Agreement under Building Canada worth approximately $635 million.
For more information on the Building Canada plan, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca.
