Saskatchewan municipalities now have more access to funding for community planning thanks to a new $1.1 million program.
"Planning For Growth" provides funding for groups of municipalities who are working together to accommodate and encourage economic development and population growth in their regions. Federal funding in the amount of $600,000 is being provided through the Gas Tax Fund, with Enterprise Saskatchewan providing $500,000. The program will be administered by the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
"Regional economic development is, in many ways, the backbone of Saskatchewan's ongoing growth and expansion," Enterprise Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. "For this prosperity to continue and be supported, there must be the kind of collaboration that this program fosters between the various levels of government and the communities where ideas are born and take root."
"Our municipalities recognize that they need to work together to plan how their communities can grow and prosper," Municipal Affairs Minister Jeremy Harrison said. "I would like to acknowledge the leadership and hard work by the City Mayors' Caucus, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) in driving this initiative forward."
"This partnership is an excellent example of collaboration between our two levels of government," said Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar MP Kelly Block, on behalf of John Baird, Canada's Transport and Infrastructure Minister. "The federal Gas Tax Fund is providing vital resources to communities to assist with long-term planning, and this initiative will further accelerate access to these resources, to the benefit of all Saskatchewan residents."
"Urban municipalities are grateful that the provincial and federal governments have responded to the call for support in promoting inter-municipal planning," SUMA President Allan Earle said. "The challenges facing municipalities are increasingly complex, and the best solutions are often found through collaboration. This program will provide the necessary resources to facilitate a collaborative planning environment between municipalities."
The federal Gas Tax Fund delivers funding to local governments and other eligible recipients primarily for capital projects that lead to cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Funding is also available for planning projects that contribute to the sustainability of communities and regions.
The Government of Canada extended the Gas Tax Fund to 2014 resulting in a total of $372 million in funding for municipal infrastructure in Saskatchewan. The Government of Canada announced in Budget 2008 that the Gas Tax Fund would become permanent beyond 2014 at $2 billion per year nationally.
