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OSOYOOS – The Town of Osoyoos will benefit from close to $1 million in federal and provincial funding announced today to help build local infrastructure, address priority projects and stimulate the economy.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to join with the Province in providing Towns for Tomorrow funding for Osoyoos, which helps to both build local infrastructure and create jobs,” said Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. “This is another example of how the federal government is committed to strengthening B.C.’s economy and keeping British Columbians working.”
Osoyoos will receive:
· $322,400 in federal and provincial funding from the Towns for Tomorrow program for the Sewage Lagoon Aeration System – Energy Reduction Program. The two phases of the project include reducing electricity used at the Osoyoos wastewater treatment lagoon by replacing old aeration equipment and using solar energy to generate electricity for on-site use.
· $638,942 through the first instalment of the Province’s Strategic Community Investment Fund, a restructuring of provincial grant programs to give communities more funding sooner, including Small Community Grant funding.
· $1,848 from the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program – equal to 100 per cent of the carbon tax paid as part of direct expenditures on fossil fuels. Osoyoos is one of 174 communities to sign the Climate Action Charter committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2012.
“Water has always been of great importance to South Okanagan communities and these grants will continue to see water quality is maintained and enhanced,” said Penticton-Okanagan MLA Bill Barisoff. “The provincial government working together with the Town of Osoyoos is an important partnership collaborating to see these projects delivered to residents of the Osoyoos community.”
“This funding will go a long way to making important upgrades to our community’s infrastructure,” said Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells. “I’m glad to see that we are being supported through these challenging economic times with this support for local jobs as well as developing environmentally sustainable infrastructure for the future.”
The Towns for Tomorrow project is part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program supported by the Province that will create up to 88,000 jobs and help build vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.
Beyond this funding announcement, the Government of Canada is taking important steps to support economic growth. Canada’s Economic Action Plan, announced in Budget 2009, is a balanced stimulus plan that includes massive investments in infrastructure, tax relief and transfers. This plan will provide close to $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years which will address needs in communities across Canada, as well as contributing to long-term economic growth through investments in public infrastructure, such as roads, water treatment, green energy and transit.
BACKGROUNDER
Towns for Tomorrow is a five-year, $71-million program that helps smaller communities and regional districts with infrastructure projects. Towns for Tomorrow provides up to 80 per cent of funding for communities under 5,000, to a maximum of $400,000, and 75 per cent of funding for communities up to 15,000, to a maximum of $375,000. As a result of a commitment on the part of all levels of government to accelerate the disbursement of infrastructure funding to stimulate the economy and meet the needs of communities, the federal government is proudly supporting the Towns for Tomorrow program. To learn more, go to www.townsfortomorrow.gov.bc.ca.
Strategic Community Investment Fund: Through a restructuring of provincial grant programs, communities will see more funding sooner, giving them greater certainty and improved financial flexibility. Payments will be made on the basis of Strategic Community Investment Agreements with local governments. The first $133-million instalment on this two-year, $232-million initiative consists of the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Program and Small Community and Regional District Grants.
Small Community and Regional District Grants: $70 million of the initial $133-million payment under the Strategic Community Investment Fund will support local governments this year as part of the Province’s continuing commitment to help provide services in areas with smaller tax bases. The grant allocation takes into account three elements: basic funding for all municipalities with a population of less than 15,000, population-based funding, and property assessment-based funding. This year’s payment fulfils the Province’s commitment to double these grants over four years.
The Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program helps communities that have committed to the goal of becoming carbon neutral in their corporate operations by 2012, under the BC Climate Action Charter. The program provides local governments with grants to offset 100 per cent of the carbon tax they have directly paid for fossil fuel purchases.
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Ministry of Community Development 250 387-4089 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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