Canada and Quebec Invest in Cultural, Road and Municipal Infrastructure to Create Jobs and Stimulate the Quebec Economy

• Backgrounder

Montreal, Quebec, August 27, 2009 – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, and Mrs. Christine St-Pierre, Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, are pleased to announce joint financial support of close to $374 million for a group of 92 Quebec projects under the terms of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. With the contributions of municipalities and other organizations, these total investments of nearly $395 million will enable completion of this work. This is the second wave of investments announced in Quebec in less than a month under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund for projects that can now proceed.

“Today, the governments of Canada and Quebec have announced another series of investments in infrastructure projects in Quebec. The projects worth almost $395 million will stimulate our economy and create jobs for Quebeckers,” declared Minister Paradis. “Thanks to our commitment and the strong partnership between our two governments, we are working together to accelerate our investments in infrastructure with the goal of boosting our economy, and so that Quebec and Canada can emerge stronger.”

“Since 2007, through the implementation of the Quebec infrastructure plan, le Plan québécois des infrastructures, the Government of Quebec has committed to upgrade public infrastructure,” stated Minister St-Pierre. “With the support of the federal government, we are now able to speed up the completion of the work to sustain economic activity and stimulate the creation of jobs in all our regions. What particularly pleases me is that culture is the main focus of these investments. Since the beginning of summer, 22 cultural infrastructure projects work a total of $90.1 million have been announced. These efforts are thus made to promote access to quality cultural facilities, like here at Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, an institution that has dedicated itself to creation for the past 40 years, and has shown us the depth of Quebec drama and French-Canadian expression.”

Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui will receive $1,807,500 in joint assistance to renovate and expand the theatre, specifically through the addition of a new rehearsal hall, change to the tier, repairs to the stage floor in the main hall, a number of improvements to service and administrative areas, as well as the purchase of specialized equipment.

Mirror to the soul, culture is becoming more and more recognized as an excellent development tool. The launching of numerous cultural facilities is a direct contribution to the economy and the creation of jobs, in addition to being a strong affirmation and expression of Quebec identity. Among the projects selected, besides Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, there is the construction of a music school in Rivière-du-Loup, the installation of an orchestral pit in the Desjardins-Télus concert hall in Rimouski, and the construction of an exposition centre in Rouyn-Noranda. In addition, nearly 65 road projects are being funded all over Quebec.

The Government of Canada contribution to these projects comes from the new $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which is part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan announced in the budget of January 2009.

In the case of provincial projects, the federal and provincial governments will each pay half of the eligible costs. For municipal projects and those projects from non-profit organizations, the breakdown of costs among the levels of government may vary according to the project.

In Quebec to date, 150 Stimulus Fund projects have been announced, representing a total joint government contribution of close to $538 million.

The Government of Quebec contribution comes from the Quebec infrastructure plan, le Plan québécois des infrastructures, which was enhanced in January 2009 and now has an envelope of close to $42 billion for the renewal of Quebec infrastructure over the next five years. Of this, $1.2 billion is designated for cultural facility projects.

Further information

For more information on investment in infrastructure, go to these Web sites: www.creatingjobs.gc.ca and www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.

For more information on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, go to www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Margaux Stastny
Assistant Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada
891-997-5421

Chris Day
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport John Baird Ottawa
613-991-0700

Valérie Rodrigue
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women
418-380-2310

Infrastructure Canada
613 948-1148

Backgrounder
Infrastructure Stimulus Fund in Quebec

On August 27, 2009, Canada and Quebec announced a joint investment of close to $374 million for 92 infrastructure projects that will enable the creation of jobs and will help to stimulate the economy.

To date, 150 projects have been announced under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, for a total joint government contribution of close to $538 million. This amount also includes the Government of Canada’s contribution to Quebec’s Progam for the renewal of drinking water and wastewater lines, Programme de renouvellement des conduites (PRECO).

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government established a new $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund to provide funding for construction-ready infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Funding is available for two years for work that will be completed during the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons. The contribution from the Government of Quebec comes out of the Quebec infrastructure plan, le Plan québécois des infrastructures, which was enhanced in January 2009 and now has a budget of nearly $42 billion for a number of infrastructure renewal projects over the next five years.

About the program

The Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, as well as the funding made available by Quebec, complements existing federal infrastructure funding by focusing on short-term economic stimulus objectives. To further this goal of rapid economic stimulus, the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund has adopted construction-readiness as the main project selection criterion. The projects selected will focus largely on the rehabilitation of existing assets, such as water and wastewater infrastructure, public transit, highways, roads, culture, parks and trails. For provincial projects, the federal and provincial governments will each contribute up to 50 per cent of eligible costs. For municipal projects and projects for private non-profit organizations, the federal and provincial governments will contribute up to two-thirds of eligible costs, while the remaining third are to be provided by the municipalities and private non-profit organizations.

Infrastructure Stimulus Fund at Work in Quebec

The Province is quite familiar with its infrastructure needs across the region, as well as the projects that, by their nature, are the most likely to get off the ground quickly and stimulate the economy in the short term. The Government of Quebec thus identified projects that would meet the eligibility criteria of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund and that would also meet the province's long-term needs. Each application was evaluated according to criteria such as readiness, federal environmental assessment requirements and the funding requested by the applicant.

Since the launch of PRECO on April 6, 2009, the Government of Canada has announced that up to $350 million in ISF funding would be set aside for PRECO-approved projects. The joint Canada-Quebec contribution could reach $700 million.

In addition, on July 28, 2009, the governments of Canada and Quebec announced joint funding for a group of 24 Quebec projects through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. With the contributions of the municipalities and other organizations, these investments to permit completion of the work total $181.7 million.

PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THE AUGUST 27, 2009 ANNOUNCEMENT

PROJECTS

* List of examples of projects funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund

Project Title

Improvement, renovation and construction of road infrastructure

• 11.8 km of pavement resurfacing on Route 117 in the Réservoir-Dozois region
• More than 3 km of protective layer on the eastbound side of Autoroute 20 in Notre-Dame-Bon-Conseil
• Repair of ramps on Route 283 in Montmagny
• Relocation of the bike path and construction of an overpass on Route 132 in Lévis
• More than 8 km of bituminous concrete reinforcement on Route 214 in Bury and Westbury Township
• More than 12 km of pavement resurfacing on Route 132 in Percé
• 7.7 km of cement concrete resurfacing on Autoroute 15 in Mirabel
• 5.8 km of protective layer on Route 335 in Laval
• 11.4 km of structural repair on the eastbound side of Autoroute 10 in Marieville and Ste-Angèle-de-Monnoir
• Repair of embankment structures on Autoroute 15 in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle
• Repair of a pumping station on Autoroute 20 in Dorval
• Repair of pumpin systems in the Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine Tunnel
• 6.8 km of protective layer on Autoroute 20 in Beaconsfield
• Structural repair of St-Jean-Baptiste ramps on Autoroute 40 in Montréal
• More than 12.7 km of bituminous concrete reinforcement on Route 117 in Lac-Pythonga
• 4.3 km of pavement repair on Route Coulombe in Saguenay

Improvement, renovation and construction of cultural infrastructure

• Relocation of the municipal library and restoration of the fire station in Lorrainville
• Maintenance of the Félix-Leclerc concert hall in Val-d’Or
• Construction of an exposition centre in Rouyn-Noranda
• Restoration and maintenance of the Château Ramezay Museum in Montreal
• Installation of an orchestral pit in the Desjardins-Télus concert hall in Rimouski
• Relocation of the jewelry school in Montreal’s performance quarter
• Construction of a music school in Rivière-du-Loup
• IMAGO creative centre, research and presentation project in Montreal (combination of Artexte, VOX and Studio XX)
• Redevelopment of Les Deux Mondes theatre company in Montreal to welcome Théâtre la Centrale
• Renovation and expansion of Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui in Montreal
• Relocation of the DynamO Théâtre production centre in Montréal to a permanent residence within TAZ

Improvement, renovation and construction of municipal infrastructure

• Renovation of the community centre in Sainte-Sabine
• Repair of breakwaters in Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse
• Renovation of the sport and cultural centre in Beauceville
• Construction of a multipurpose centre in Saint-Agapit
• Installation of water supply and sewage infrastructure for a recreation-tourism to development in Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf
• Repairs to Municipal Hall in Saint-Magloire
• Development of a Vauvert tourism centre in Dolbeau-Mistassini
• Extension of the sanitary sewer on Route 204 in Audet
• Replacement et extension of water and sewage infrastructure in Saint-Malachie
• Installation of water sewers in Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse
• Replacement of water distribution pipes in Saint-Adrien-d’Irlande
• Replacement of wastewater collection pipes and installation of water sewers in Saint-Cyprien-des-Etchemins

* Please note that numerous other projects will be announced locally in the coming weeks.