/EINPresswire.com/ -- OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Mar 31, 2017) - Investing in infrastructure is vital to strengthening the middle class and growing the economy. Modern, efficient public infrastructure contributes to a high quality of life by helping connect people to jobs, improve water systems, provide access to better community services, and support new business opportunities.

In Budget 2016, the Government of Canada asked provinces and territories to prioritize the remaining $837 million in uncommitted legacy infrastructure funding towards projects by March 31, 2016 and committed to transfer any remaining funding to municipalities through the Gas Tax Fund. The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, authorized the transfer of over $30.1 million in funding from a number of previously established funding programs to the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) this month. The funding was allocated to provinces and territories as a one-time top-up to the $2.1 billion already made available to communities annually through the ongoing transfer program.

By transferring the funds to the federal GTF, the Government of Canada is providing provincial, territorial and municipal partners with greater flexibility on how they can direct federal infrastructure dollars to their diverse priorities and needs.

Quotes

"Working with our partners, some $800 million has been committed to projects across the country under these older programs. This transfer of remaining funds responds directly to what we heard from our provincial, territorial and municipal partners during our infrastructure consultations - that they needed increased flexibility to meet their diverse needs. This will allow communities to direct funding to their local infrastructure priorities in the near term. That means that whether a community needs to expand their recreational centre, repair roads, enhance a wastewater treatment system or make energy-saving upgrades to municipal buildings, the projects can go ahead sooner."

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi,

Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada will provide more than $180 billion in infrastructure funding over 12 years for public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, transportation that supports trade, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
• The federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) provides over $2 billion annually to Canadian municipalities, providing them with a permanent, predictable and indexed source of long-term funding.
• The federal GTF 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.

Related product

• Over $30.1 Million transferred to the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF)

Associated links

Government of Canada's $180-billion+ infrastructure plan: http://www.budget.gc.ca/fes-eea/2016/docs/themes/infrastructure-en.html

Federal infrastructure investments across Canada: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/index-eng.html

The federal Gas Tax Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/gtf-fte-eng.html

The annual allocation to provinces, territories and First Nations under the federal GTF: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/prog/gtf-fte-tab-eng.html

Twitter: @INFC_eng

Web: Infrastructure Canada