Thursday, September 18, 2008
Liberal Infrastructure Announcement: Manitoba would receive $2.8-billion over 10 years
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2008
Liberal Infrastructure Announcement: Manitoba would receive $2.8-billion over 10 years
Fund includes $300-million for Small Communities, $400-million for Water and Waste upgrades, $120-million for Sports and Recreation Centres and $1-billion for Municipalities
WINNIPEG – A new Liberal government will commit more than $70 billion over the next 10 years to improve the critical infrastructure that supports Canada's competitiveness and quality of life and will use unanticipated annual budget surpluses to infrastructure projects, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion announced today.
Of that amount, Manitoba would receive approximately $2.8-billion in funding for projects. Dion's announcement specifically mentioned funding for an east-west power grid to carry Manitoba's green Hydro-generated electricity to Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Locally, Liberal MP's Anita Neville and Raymond Simard said that the funds were earmarked in such a way that they would enable further expansion rapid transit in Winnipeg, support for recreational and community infrastructure and - perhaps most importantly funding for the City of Winnipeg and other municipalities to fix roads and bridges.
"The current finance Minister has said that his government "doesn't do potholes," and in Winnipeg, that just doesn't fly," said Simard. "I am here to say that the Liberal will fill potholes, we will build community recreation centres, because we want to build our communities and make them stronger."
"Today's announcement is a major investment in the economic and environmental future of Winnipeg and Manitoba," said Neville, "The east-west grid will allow us to sell our green Hydro energy to places that currently use coal to generate electricity, which is good for our economy, and good for the planet."
The Liberals would honour all existing framework agreements that have been signed with the provinces and territories. The specific priorities of the $70-billion investment include:
- at least $10 billion of strategic infrastructure, particularly green infrastructure such as water and sewage treatment, and clean energy grids;
- at least $8 billion for a National Transit Strategy that will enable our cities to expand their transit systems and green their transit fleets;
- at least $3 billion for a dedicated Small Communities Fund, to ensure that all Canadians are able to see strengthened, more resilient infrastructure;
- at least $4.5 billion for our country's gateways, corridors and borders to ensure that Canada's infrastructure facilitates, rather than hinders, our trade and tourism industries while keeping Canada safe and secure; and
- at least $3 billion for sports and recreational facilities because an active society is a healthy society and Canada must renew and expand its arenas and other leisure facilities.
A Liberal government created the gas tax transfer to municipalities to help them invest in important infrastructure needs, and we will now index it to economic growth so our cities and communities can develop as our economy grows. Over the course of our 10-year plan, municipalities will see almost $25 billion transferred to them through the improved gas tax transfer.
This announcement builds on a Liberal commitment made in February 2008 that all unanticipated surplus funds beyond a $3-billion contingency reserve will be spent on infrastructure, particularly green infrastructure.
A new Liberal government will also create an Infrastructure Bank to make available to all levels of government low-cost financing for infrastructure projects such as regional energy grids or high-speed rail.
"Canada's cities and towns are the engines of our economy," said Mr. Dion. "Without significant long-term investments in infrastructure, our economy and environment will suffer. This plan will provide Canada's economic engines with the support they need, and is an important part of our efforts to reduce Canada's environmental footprint."
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Contact:
LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA - MANITOBA
CAMPAIGN MEDIA CONTACT:
The Hon. Sen. Sharon Carstairs
Election Campaign Co-Chair
Cell 509-9542 office 988-9540
635 Broadway Ave Winnipeg, MB R3C 0X1 Tel: (204) 988-9540 Fax (204) 988-9549
web: www.liberalpartyofcanada-mb.ca
BACKGROUND
Ensuring that Canada has high quality, sustainable infrastructure to meet the needs of Canadians is a critical part of managing our economy. Our provinces, territories and municipalities need a partner in Ottawa to ensure Canada can maintain its competitiveness and quality of life.
It was a Liberal government that launched the first infrastructure programs and created the New Deal for Cities and Communities, which provided a GST rebate to municipalities and transferred the equivalent of five cents of the gas tax to municipalities for investments in infrastructure. We recognize that provinces, territories and municipalities need long-term, predictable funding to eliminate the infrastructure deficit in this country.
The Liberal long-term infrastructure plan will:
create a 10-year plan to invest $70 billion in much-needed infrastructure;
devote all unanticipated annual budget surplus funds beyond a $3-billion contingency reserve to infrastructure;
create an Infrastructure Bank to make available to each level of government low-cost financing for major infrastructure projects such as regional energy grids or high-speed rail.
As part of the $70-billion plan, we will honour all existing framework agreements that have been signed with the provinces, because when the Government of Canada puts its name on an agreement, future governments should respect that commitment. And we will be more transparent about our priorities for the federal funding we provide.
Liberal priorities for the $70-billion commitment will include:
- at least $10 billion of strategic infrastructure, particularly green infrastructure such as water and sewage treatment, and clean energy grids;
- at least $8 billion for a National Transit Strategy that will enable our cities to expand their transit systems and green their transit fleets;
- at least $3 billion for a dedicated Small Communities Fund, to ensure that all Canadians are able to see strengthened, more resilient infrastructure;
- at least $4.5 billion for our country's gateways, corridors and borders to ensure that Canada's infrastructure facilitates, rather than hinders, our trade and tourism industries while keeping Canada safe and secure; and
- at least $3 billion for sports and recreational facilities because an active society is a healthy society and Canada must renew and expand its arenas and other leisure facilities.
In addition to setting these clear priorities, our 10-year plan includes the transfer of almost $25 billion to the municipalities through the gas tax transfer. This transfer will now be indexed to nominal GDP growth so that municipalities have the funding certainty they need to keep up with economic growth.
And for the first time ever, we will establish a policy to devote any unanticipated surplus - over and above a $3-billion contingency fund to ensure fiscal prudence - to investment in infrastructure. This would have represented $7 billion in 2007-08 alone, and nearly $75 billion if this approach had been taken over the last ten years. The top priority will be investment in sustainable infrastructure: public transit, water systems, green energy, waste management and contaminated sites.
A new Liberal government will also develop an Infrastructure Bank as an additional tool to finance infrastructure investment. This bank will provide low-cost financing for all orders of government that choose to borrow from it. It will also help finance long-term infrastructure projects such as regional energy grids or high-speed rail.
Through the Infrastructure Bank, Canadians across the country would have the opportunity to participate in the Bank's projects through the purchase of tax-free Green Bonds, which would be similar to Canada Savings Bonds, but with the money directed toward investments in renewable energy infrastructure or other investments that will clean up our environment and strengthen our economy. The returns on their investment through these Green Bonds would be tax free.
Through these commitments, a Liberal government will be a willing partner for mega projects like an East-West energy grid, an Atlantic Energy Corridor, a carbon capture and sequestration pipeline between Alberta and Saskatchewan and high-speed rail links in Canada's busiest commuter corridors.
posted by Media # 1:43 PM 
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