Newfoundland and Labrador, November 3, 2020—The safety and well-being of Canadians are top priorities of the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador. But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than Canadians’ personal health; it is also having a profound impact on the economy.
That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done.
Today, Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern Affairs and Member of Parliament for Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, and the Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, announced funding for five projects to make communities safer and provide residents with better roads in Labrador.
Forteau residents will benefit from the paving of 1.3 kilometres of gravel community roads, Wabush will see the reconstruction of 290 meters of roadway and North West River will benefit from the resurfacing of Sunday Hill Road. Labrador City will see the reconstruction of sections of Lakeside Street and Canning Street while Postville will see road and safety upgrades to approximately 500 metres of local roads. These local road improvements will make roadways safer and more reliable for residents and visitors.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $1.1 million in these projects through the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream (RNIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure program and the federal Gas Tax Fund. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing more than $982,000 and the municipalities are contributing more than $1.1 million.
“The Government of Canada recognizes that rural and northern communities are critical to Canada’s well-being and economic success. Ensuring they have the local infrastructure needed to be safe and successful is important. When our small communities thrive, we all benefit.”
The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development
“These infrastructure investments are important to strengthening rural communities and will help create well-paying, stable jobs during the construction phase. Once complete, these improvements will have positive and long-lasting impacts on these communities. We are contributing to our country’s economic recovery in these unprecedented times, so that our communities remain among the best places to live, work and raise a family.”
Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern Affairs and Member of Parliament for Labrador
“Our top priority for roads is always safety of everyone who use them. By resurfacing roads in Forteau, North West River, and Wabush, upgrading streets in Labrador City and widening roads in Postville for guiderails, we are making roads safer in each of these communities.”
The Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
“The Provincial Government, in partnership with the Federal Government and municipalities, places a high priority on maintaining and upgrading local roads. These investments improve the social and economic development of communities in Labrador, as well as ensure that roads are safe and reliable for residents.”
The Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs
Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
More than $10.1 billion of this funding is supporting trade and transportation projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
$2 billion of this funding is supporting infrastructure projects that meet the unique needs of rural and northern communities like facilities to support food security, local access roads and enhanced broadband connectivity. In addition, $400 million is being delivered through the Arctic Energy Fund to advance energy security in the territories.
The Government of Canada has invested more than $497 million towards 577 infrastructure projects across Newfoundland and Labrador under the Investing in Canada plan.
To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories, and some administrative requirements have been streamlined to accommodate faster approvals.
The COVID-19 Resilience Stream will help other orders of governments whose finances have been significantly impacted by the pandemic by increasing the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects to 80% in the provinces. Federal funding will cover 100% of the cost of projects in the territories and for projects with Indigenous recipients.
The Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will provide up to $31 million in existing federal funding to support communities as they deploy innovative new ways to adapt spaces and services to respond to immediate and ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years.
