August 18, 2010
Smart Provincial Spending Means Safer Roads, More Jobs

CRANBROOK– Competitive bidding pays off as $42 million in savings is going towards an additional 21 B.C. infrastructure projects getting underway through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, including a $5.5 million project in Fernie.

“We’ve been very prudent with these stimulus funds and now we see the benefits coming to the Kootenays,” says Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. “Thanks to that strong fiscal management, we can fund these additional projects and that means better roads and more jobs for B.C. families.”

“The Government of Canada is committed to creating jobs, strengthening our economy, and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Canadians,” says Kootenay-Columbia MP Jim Abbott. “We are pleased to partner with British Columbia on these highway improvement projects that will lead to safer roads for residents and visitors across the province.”

The provincial government is contributing $3 million toward the Highway 3 resurfacing from Elko overhead to Fernie Ski Hill Road. The remainder of the project is funded through the federal government and is scheduled to be completed by October 1, 2011.

The funding for these 21 projects is available as the result of savings achieved through competitive bids on previously announced provincial Infrastructure Stimulus Fund highway projects. It is estimated these new projects will create more than 270 direct jobs. Of the $42 million invested, $38 million is eligible under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund – split equally between Canada and B.C.

The federal contribution to these projects comes from the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provides funding to provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure projects. Since March 2009, over 400 projects have received a total federal investment of over $500 million under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund across British Columbia.

Since October 2008, over $5.3 billion has been committed for accelerated capital projects across British Columbia, which is estimated to generate more than 34,000 construction jobs over the life of the projects.

To learn more about Bill’s work in Kootenay East, visit www.billbennettmla.bc.ca.

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