Five New Brunswick Municipalities to Benefit from Gas Tax Fund for Green Infrastructure

Hampton, New Brunswick, April 25, 2008 - The municipalities of Hampton, Dorchester, Hillsborough, Riverside-Albert and Saint-Antoine will make essential improvements to local infrastructure after receiving their first payments under the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on the Transfer of Federal Gas Tax Revenues and the Provincial Gas Tax Transfer Top-up Fund.

These New Brunswick municipalities will receive their first payments from the Gas Tax Fund (GTF), totalling $660,548. Together, they will receive gas tax funding of more than $1.6 million by 2010.

The municipalities will use these funds for environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects such as water systems; wastewater treatment; community-energy systems; public transit; capacity building; and active transportation, including local roads and bridges.

Rob Moore, Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Local Government Minister, the Honourable Carmel Robichaud, made the announcement today.

“The Government of Canada is proud to partner with New Brunswick in helping municipalities respond to their important infrastructure needs,” said MP Moore. “By investing in priorities such as wastewater treatment and water systems, we are moving forward on our commitment to work hand in hand with New Brunswickers.”

“The Government of New Brunswick recognizes that improving municipal infrastructure is a priority,” said Minister Robichaud. “We are aware of the challenges of renewing and replacing municipal infrastructure, and we want to keep working with municipalities and the federal government to obtain and maintain safe and adequate local infrastructure. This will help us to attain our goal of self-sufficiency by 2026.”

The Province of New Brunswick will receive $116.1 million from the GTF from 2005 to 2010, to which the Government of New Brunswick will add $30 million. Following Budget 2007, a further $178.5 million in GTF will flow to the Province of New Brunswick from 2010 to 2014, for a total of $294.6 million in federal funding over nine years.

To receive its first payment under the GTF, each municipality submitted a five-year Capital Investment Plan for review by the province, and signed an agreement with the New Brunswick Department of Local Government to implement the plan.

Investment collaboration with provinces and municipalities is a key feature of the federal approach to infrastructure.

In December 2007, the governments of Canada and New Brunswick announced the signing of the Building Canada Framework Agreement. With this agreement, the Government of Canada committed to an investment of more than $540 million towards infrastructure needs in New Brunswick from 2007 to 2014. In addition, in Budget 2008, the Government of Canada announced that the Gas Tax Fund will become permanent from 2014, at $2 billion per year. This will facilitate long-term planning by municipalities.

Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700

Daniel Lessard
Public Affairs Officer
Department of Local Government
Province of New Brunswick
506-444-4693

Infrastructure Canada
Communications
613-948-1148

List of Projects:

Dorchester – First Payment of $77,759 – Total payment by 2010 of $194,398
The Village of Dorchester will undertake projects under the local roads and bridges category.

Hampton – First Payment of $325,790 – Total payment by 2010 of $814,475
The Town of Hampton will undertake projects under the community energy systems, local roads and bridges, public transit, wastewater and water categories.

Hillsborough – First Payment of $104,984 – Total payment by 2010 of $262,458
The Village of Hillsborough will undertake projects under the capacity building, community energy systems and wastewater categories.

Riverside-Albert – First Payment of $32,034 – Total payment by 2010 of $80,083
The Village of Riverside-Albert will undertake projects under the community energy systems category.

Saint-Antoine – First Payment of $119,981 – Total payment by 2010 of $299,952
The Village of Saint-Antoine will undertake projects under the wastewater and water categories.