Government of Canada Delivers More Than $7.8 Million to the Northwest Territories for Community Infrastructure Projects

YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES--(Marketwired - Aug. 31, 2016) - Infrastructure Canada

Investing in infrastructure is vital to strengthening the middle class today and growing the economy for years to come. Modern, efficient community infrastructure contributes to a high quality of life by helping connect people to jobs, improve water systems, and support new business opportunities.

The Government of Canada has now provided the Northwest Territories with $7.875 million for community infrastructure through the federal Gas Tax Fund, representing the first of two installments for 2016−17. In total, the Northwest Territories will be provided with more than $15.7 million through the fund this year.

Based on planned projects for this year, GTF funding is expected to support 45 local infrastructure projects. From a $1.5 million project to construct a sewage lagoon in Colville Lake to the rehabilitation of roadside ditches and culverts in Deline, no other federal funding program provides communities with as much flexibility and decision making power.

The two GTF installments for this year are in addition to funds going to the Northwest Territories under other existing programs and two new federal funding programs: the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund and the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. The latter are part of Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's 10-year, $120-billion Investing in Canada plan. A bilateral agreement for these two new funds will be signed in the next weeks.

Quick facts

• The GTF has provided over $135 million to Northwest Territories communities since its introduction in 2005.
• $2 billion is made available nationally each year through two installments.
• The GTF provides Canadian municipalities with a permanent, predictable and indexed source of long-term funding.
• It offers local communities the flexibility to make strategic investments across 18 different project categories, including roads and bridges, public transit, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and recreational facilities.
• Communities can use the funds immediately for priority projects, bank the funds for later use, pool the dollars with other communities for shared infrastructure projects or use it to finance major infrastructure expenditures.
• Phase 1 of Investing in Canada provides $11.9 billion in investments to support public transit systems, green infrastructure projects, and social infrastructure projects. Details on Phase 2 of Investing in Canada will be announced over the next months.

Quotes

"The federal Gas Tax Fund allows communities to direct federal dollars to their particular infrastructure priorities across a wide range of project categories. Whether a community needs to expand their recreational centre, repair roads, enhance a wastewater treatment system or make energy-saving upgrades to municipal buildings, this funding offers predictable, reliable and flexible support that reflects the federal government's commitment to investing in infrastructure that makes a real difference in people's lives at the local level."

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"This funding supports 45 important infrastructure projects such as community roads, recreation facilities and water treatment facilities in communities across the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is proud of our ongoing partnership with the Government of Canada to support project funding that will develop strong and sustainable communities and enable community governments to better meet the needs of their residents."

Robert C. McLeod, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs

Related products

Federal Gas Tax Allocations for the Northwest Territories communities in 2016-17: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1118609

Associated links

Federal Gas Tax Fund

Federal infrastructure investments in the Northwest Territories

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BACKGROUNDER

The Government of Canada delivered the first of two federal Gas Tax Fund installments for 2016-17 to all provinces and territories.

The following table indicates this year's federal Gas Tax Fund allocation for communities in the Northwest Territories.

For more information on the Gas Tax Fund, please visit: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/gtf-fte-eng.html