The Honourable Lucienne Robillard, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, Minister responsible for Infrastructure and Member of Parliament for Westmount - Ville-Marie, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Solicitor General of Canada, the Honourable Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island, and the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs for Prince Edward Island, participated today in the formal signing of the six-year Infrastructure Canada-Prince Edward Island agreement. The agreement will mean a total investment of $38.406 million in infrastructure for Prince Edward Island, with equal contributions from the federal, provincial and municipal governments.

The Premier and Ministers agreed that the partnership is an excellent example of how different orders of government can work together for the benefit of all Canadians.

"The Infrastructure Canada-Prince Edward Island partnership is a reflection of our shared commitment to building a more dynamic economy, and improving quality of life for Canadians in all parts of Canada," said Madame Robillard.

"The provincial government is committed to building stronger communities throughout both rural and urban areas of Prince Edward Island," stated Premier Pat Binns. "The emphasis on environment and green infrastructure is a real benefit to Islanders and this infrastructure is a necessary component in the promotion of economic development in our communities."

The first priority for Infrastructure Canada investment in Prince Edward Island, as in the rest of Canada, is green municipal infrastructure.

Secondary priorities for the Infrastructure Canada-Prince Edward Island program include cultural and recreational facilities, infrastructure supporting tourism, local transportation, rural and remote telecommunications, high- speed Internet access for local public institutions, and affordable housing.

Infrastructure Canada has taken a "bottom-up" program from the beginning, and will continue to be so: "Municipalities know their needs best. The vast majority of projects funded through this agreement will be suggested by the municipalities themselves," said Solicitor General of Canada Lawrence MacAulay, regional minister for P.E.I. "Mechanisms are in place to ensure input from local government throughout the life of the program."

"Municipalities play a key role in Island communities and this partnership provides for improved facilitates and green infrastructure for municipalities while putting an emphasis on municipal government involvement in the process," says Minister Gail Shea. "One of the major differences between this agreement and past agreements is the municipal involvement at the management committee level."

With the signing of the agreement, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) takes responsibility for federal government involvement in the implementation of Infrastructure Canada in Prince Edward Island, under the direction of implementing minister the Hon. George Baker, Secretary of State for ACOA.

The Infrastructure Canada-Prince Edward Island agreement provides for the establishment of a joint management committee to administer the program, and recommend projects for funding.

The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs is responsible for provincial involvement in the agreement. Ron MacMillan, Deputy Minister will co-chair the management committee on behalf of the province.

As part of its commitment to undertake initiatives that make a long-term contribution to a dynamic economy, the federal government has allocated $2.65 billion for its share of a new, cost-shared physical infrastructure program. Infrastructure Canada deals with municipal infrastructure. A strategic highways component, will receive funding of up to $600 million of the total allocation.

Through the Infrastructure Canada partnership, federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments will invest a total of $6 billion in municipal infrastructure in urban and rural communities across Canada.

Chantal Scarlett
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 957-2391

Russell Milon
Press Secretary 
Office of the President of the
Treasury Board of Canada 
and Minister Responsible for 
Infrastructure
(613) 957-2666

Jennifer Cormier
Community and Cultural Affairs
(902) 368-5829

INFRASTRUCTURE CANADA - PROGRAM FACT SHEET

In the last Budget, the Government of Canada announced $2.65 billion for physical infrastructure. Of this amount, up to $600 million will be allocated to strategic highways infrastructure to be administered by Transport Canada. With contributions from our provincial, territorial and municipal partners, and the private sector, Infrastructure Canada will generate at least $6 billion in total infrastructure investment.

The Government of Canada will contribute up to one-third of the cost of individual projects. This contribution could be higher in some instances, as long as Government of Canada funding does not exceed one-third of the total cost of projects funded in a given fiscal year.

The Infrastructure Canada program is based on partnerships with provincial and territorial governments and municipal associations. All levels of government have played an important part in the design of this new program.

Infrastructure Canada has been designed with a bottom-up approach. Accordingly, municipalities will play an important role in the program. The majority of projects will be selected from proposals submitted by municipalities to ensure that the most pressing local needs will be addressed. The federal and provincial governments may also propose projects, up to a maximum of 20 per cent of the Infrastructure Canada funds, to ensure that regional projects, involving more than one municipality, are not overlooked.

Initial consultations with provinces and territories, municipal associations and other stakeholders confirmed a commitment on the part of all jurisdictions to make a long- term contribution to improving the quality of life and building a more dynamic economy for Canadians.

Infrastructure Canada's first priority is green municipal infrastructure. Investments within the "green" envelope will include projects related to water and wastewater systems, water management, solid waste management and recycling, and capital expenditures to retrofit or improve the energy efficiency of buildings and facilities owned by local governments.

The Infrastructure Canada-Prince Edward Island agreement specifies a minimum 60% of the total value of all approved projects must be invested in green municipal infrastructure.

Secondary priorities of the program include local transportation, cultural and recreational facilities, infrastructure supporting tourism, rural and remote telecommunications, high-speed Internet access for local public institutions and affordable housing.

To ensure the infrastructure needs of rural communities are considered, a minimum 46 % of total approved costs for all projects in Prince Edward Island must be invested in projects proposed by rural municipalities.

As a next step towards the implementation of the Infrastructure Canada program, a management committee will be established in each jurisdiction, with equal representation from the federal and provincial or territorial governments.

The management committee will accept and process project applications submitted by municipal governments in each jurisdiction. Information about how to submit project applications will be available soon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the Infrastructure Canada Web Site: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/ino-bni Call the Government of Canada Information line (toll free): 1 8OO O-Canada (1 800 622-6232) TTY/TDD 1 800 465-7735