Yorkton/Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz recently announced that the second installment of Canada's Gas Tax Fund (GTF) for 2013 is being made available. The money, he says, means millions of dollars this year to support local infrastructure priorities.
"The federal GTF provides predictable, long-term funding to municipalities to help them build and rehabilitate their infrastructure," explains Breitkreuz. "These projects not only improve the local communities, but the resulting jobs also contribute to the local economy."
In 2009, the Government of Canada doubled the amount of the federal GTF to $2 billion annually, and in 2011, passed legislation to make the funding permanent. In fact, the Government of Canada has invested over $13 billion to date in municipal infrastructure through this fund alone. Each year, municipalities across the country can pool, bank and borrow against this funding, providing significant additional financial flexibility.
Through the GTF, the federal government currently makes close to $56.1 million in funding available annually for municipal infrastructure in Saskatchewan. To date, Saskatchewan has benefitted from close to $371.9 million from the federal Gas Tax Fund for community projects.
Funding can currently be spent in the following areas:
Drinking water
Wastewater infrastructure
Public transit
Community energy systems
Solid waste management
Local roads
"Our government is proud to invest in important infrastructure projects as we focus on creating jobs, promoting growth, and building strong, prosperous communities across Canada," adds Breitkreuz. "We are proud to support economic growth across Yorkton-Melville by supporting local infrastructure priorities through the federal Gas Tax Fund."
More information on Canada's Gas Tax Fund can be found at http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/.
