Ottawa, Ontario, November 19, 2013 –

During his appearance today at the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (SCOTIC), the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities, and Intergovernmental Affairs, confirmed that the outstanding parameters for the New Building Canada Plan are currently under development, and will be announced by the end of the year, to ensure project proposals can be considered as soon as possible in 2014.

Additionally, the Minister noted that work is underway to sign new agreements with the provinces and territories to renew the now permanent Gas Tax Fund, which will be indexed at 2 per cent per year, with increases to be applied in $100 million increments, starting in 2014. Over the 10-year life of the plan, from 2014 to 2024, the Gas Tax Fund will grow by $1.8 billion, for a total investment of close to $22 billion in infrastructure funding for Canadian municipalities.

"We are committed to signing agreements as soon as possible with provinces and territories to implement the renewed and now permanent Gas Tax Fund," stated MinisterLebel. "The renewed agreements are now with the provinces and territories, and we are ready to sign them. These agreements will ensure that the $2 billion in funding scheduled for 2014-15 can be transferred to municipalities so they can continue to use this predictable funding for their local infrastructure priorities. Provinces, territories and municipalities can start planning for new projects now."

In addition to the Gas Tax Fund, Minister Lebel reiterated that existing programs continue to provide record funding to infrastructure projects across Canada. In fact, there is $6 billion that continues to be available for projects across the country in 2014-15 and beyond.

This existing funding will ensure that upcoming construction seasons can be put to good use in delivering local infrastructure priorities," said Minister Lebel. Some examples of these important projects across Canada include the new state-of-the-art St. Catharines Arts Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario; expanding the Toronto-York Spadina Subway; constructing biomethanization facilities for waste management in Rivière-du-Loup,Quebec; and constructing a truck bypass on Highway 39 in Estevan, Saskatchewan.

Economic Action Plan 2013 builds on our Government's historic infrastructure investments, with $70 billion for public infrastructure, including the $53 billion New Building Canada Plan for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure, over the next decade, starting in 2014-15.

The New Building Canada Plan, combined with other federal infrastructure investments, supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, which is a key enabler of economic growth and job creation.

By:IANS