Ottawa, province sign $415-M municipal infrastructure deal

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This article was published 29/08/2024 (419 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The federal and Manitoba governments have signed a 10-year agreement to pay for municipal infrastructure projects through the Canada Community-Building Fund.

Manitoba will receive more than $415 million for such projects over the first five years of the deal.

“We’re really excited,” provincial Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said Thursday. “It took some time to negotiate the deal because we wanted to get the best deal for Manitoba.”

She said the federal government was very focused on the infrastructure funding going towards housing.

“We needed to negotiate things to make sure that it was appropriate for smaller municipalities who, maybe, don’t have the same housing needs as some others — that there was some flexibility in how the infrastructure funding was applied for them,” Naylor said after an unrelated news conference Thursday.

“It’s going to give them more money to build things with,” she said.

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities said the province listened to the concerns it raised.

“We commend the provincial government for working closely with our organization to ensure that this new agreement reflects municipal needs,” association president Kam Blight said in a news release.

“The CCBF will enable municipalities to continue addressing critical local priorities, such as roads, bridges and water and wastewater infrastructure, with the predictability and flexibility necessary to effectively support local communities. This essential infrastructure not only enhances quality of life but also lays the groundwork for building more housing, ensuring our communities can grow sustainably.”

The renewed agreement provides communities with stable and flexible funding to invest in strategic infrastructure projects that help address their local priorities, federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, the MP for St. Boniface — St. Vital, said in the release.

Manitoba also ensured that municipalities will not have to contend with new priorities from Ottawa every year, as originally proposed, a spokesman for Naylor said.

“Instead, priority areas will be negotiated for a three-year term between the federal government and the province. Municipalities that need to invest in eligible projects outside these priority areas will be able to do so,” he said.

“If there are any delays in flowing federal funds as a result of the late start to negotiations, Manitoba will work with municipalities in the province to mitigate cash-flow issues that may arise.”

Since 2015, the CCBF has funded more than 920 highway, road and bridge projects across Manitoba, totalling more than $322.6 million.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca