Alberta Infrastructure Gets a Boost from the Federal Government – Multi Million Dollar Investments in Capital Projects for 2009
According to the Journal of Commerce, January 7th, the federal government of Canada plans on injecting multi-millions of dollars into the Alberta infrastructure projects over the next four years not only to curb the recent unemployment fears, but to setup Alberta has a leading province for investment and lifestyle in the next decade. As announced last week, the Canadian federal government will be injecting funds into a wide range of Alberta infrastructure projects that include everything from water and waste systems to public transportation and roads as well as other important capital projects that require funding from the federal level. According to Bill Steward, the VP of Merit Contractors Association in Alberta, “Both the federal Canadian and provincial Alberta governments have said they will step up infrastructure spending. We have a 20 year Alberta infrastructure plan and it looks like its full speed ahead on that.”
Recently, the Alberta government announced that it would dip into the federal Gas Tax fund itself and invest more almost $800 million dollars into the provincial Alberta infrastructure that includes many projects in its largest two metropolitan areas: Edmonton and Calgary. With an extension in place by the federal government of Canada, the Alberta infrastructure projects will be funded covering four years until 2014 which will provide not only stable federal funding of these capital Alberta projects but also long term stability in investment in infrastructure of Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta. The range of eligible Alberta infrastructure projects includes local roads, community energy, public transport industries, water, waste water management and solid waste infrastructure improvements. Lastly, the Canada federal government boost will also include funding for the Alberta long term planning. Funding from the federal Gas Tax fund will be immediate and can be used to fund many municipality projects going forward in 2009. Phase 1 of the Canada Gas Tax fund will support modern Alberta infrastructure projects that will help the province stay competitive in the long-term. Over the next five years, Alberta will benefit from an injection of nearly $476 million from the federal Gas Tax fund from the government and more than $258 million has already been transferred into municipalities to support over 567 Alberta infrastructure and capital projects. $176 million from the federal Gas Tax fund will be going to smaller towns of 100,000 or less people throughout Canada. The federal Gas Tax fund is actually a part of the Building Canada initiative, a long term Canada infrastructure program that will see through the development of environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects throughout Canada in order to clean the air and water and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Last year in 2008, the province of Alberta announced the 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan that included a $120 billion cash injection from the provincial government into infrastructure in order to better deal with the growing problems with population/economic growth and infrastructure/building. The 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan for Alberta is a plan that covers the next two decades and will heavily lean towards the northern part of the province including new roads and transportation routes between Edmonton to Fort McMurray, hub of the Alberta oilsands projects. Other parts of the funding will help with the 20 Year Strategic Plan of Alberta for an increase and assistance with hospitals, clinics, affordable housing, technical schools, colleges, universities and other major projects.
The top infrastructure projects throughout Canada are now being discussed by Parliament for the January session. So what exactly do the provinces want from the federal government, especially Alberta, which has several capital projects on the go and many more planned. Do these Alberta infrastructure projects take a back seat or is there a green light to go ahead as planned. With the current global economic crisis, Canada's federal government has a dilemna. Spend more to stimulate the Alberta economy (and that of Canada as a whole) through infrastructure spending, or wait out the global recession and plan for the intiation of capital infrastructure projects in the future? Right now, it seems as though the Canadian federal government is not providing the funding required to complete or even initiate many of the Edmonton and Calgary Alberta infrastructure projects. However, as the global economic crisis deepends, the federal government in Canada has leaned towards providing more funding for the completion of hospitals, roads, and water treatment plants in Alberta, and namely the major centres in Edmonton and Calgary. So in order to stimulate the Canadian economy, here are some of the top infrastructure projects that have been talke about in Parliament. According to ReNew Canada, here are the top five Canadian infrastructure projects asking for federal funding in 2009:
5. Clipper pipeline (Alberta) - $2B
4. Spadina subway Extension (Ontario) - $2.63B
3. Eastmain project at James Bay (Quebec) - $5B
2. Bruce A nuclear plant (Ontario) - $5.25B
1. Romaine Hydroelectric project (Quebec) - $6.5B
Here is a breakdown by province on major provincial capital infrastructure projects asking for Federal assistance this year in Western Canada:
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell might be looking for tax reductions in the federal budget, but he also has $3 billion potentially tied up in his own gateway project infrastructure vision — essentially large highway improvements such as the $1.6 billion Port Mann-Highway One upgrade. In addition, Port Moody, in the riding of Tory Heritage Minister James Moore, is worried that the downturn in the economy might delay or even kill its $1.4 billion private-public partnership to link this Vancouver bedroom community with the downtown core.
Premier Ed Stelmach has a "Port Alberta" project, a strange name for an infrastructure proposal when you realize that Alberta is one province away from the Pacific Ocean. In fact, located at Edmonton’s International Airport, this is another "gateway" which would make the province more attractive to business. It is part of the Alberta infrastructure government’s plan to spend about $6 billion annually for the next 20 years on capital projects.
The province has a five-year capital plan in place to lay new asphalt on highways all over Saskatchewan, like the twinning of the infrastructure highway from north of Saskatoon to Prince Albert. The 2009 bill for Saskatchewan’s first tranche of highway building is about $170 million.
Winnipeg has about $4.5 billion of projects on its infrastructure wish list, including road and terminal improvements to make that infrastructure city’s international airport an "inland port." Then, once you get outside Manitoba’s biggest city, the province is spending another $400 million annually on a 10-year road improvement scheme, which upgrades infrastructure highways in places such as Brandon and Gimli.
'Money will flow very slowly'
The 2009 Canadian federal budget revealed that about $12 billion in new money would be set aside for capital infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, railways, universities, recreation centres and other infrastructure over the next two years. The federal government is promising $4 billion over the next two years for infrastructure projects beginning construction in the 2009 and 2010 building seasons. The Canadian government said it would approve provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects, and cover up to 50 per cent of eligible costs. But Toronto Mayor David Miller criticized the budget for creating a time-consuming application process for municipalities, in which "money will flow very slowly, if at all." "Municipalities are already investing in infrastructure," Miller told CBC News from Toronto. "We were hoping our federal partner would support us by investing in the projects we're already doing, so we can expedite them." That concern was shared by Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandell. While Mandel was pleased to see more money for Edmonton infrastructure projects, arts and recreation centres, he raised questions about how the money for these major Alberta infrastructure projects will be handed out. "It's exciting. There's going to be $12 billion for infrastructure," he said. "But I don't know what the terms and conditions of it are. There's concerns about the flow of money: What are the terms and conditions of it? How much do we have to put into it? "Is it going to be directed a lot more towards eastern Canada, because maybe they have a few more problems than we do?"
The Province of Alberta Dives into the Federal Gas Tax Fund for Funding Municipal Projects
Recently, the Alberta government announced that it would dip into the federal Gas Tax fund itself and invest more almost $800 million dollars into the provincial Alberta infrastructure that includes many projects in its largest two metropolitan areas: Edmonton and Calgary. With an extension in place by the federal government of Canada, the Alberta infrastructure projects will be funded covering four years until 2014 which will provide not only stable federal funding of these capital Alberta projects but also long term stability in investment in infrastructure of Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta. The range of eligible Alberta infrastructure projects includes local roads, community energy, public transport industries, water, waste water management and solid waste infrastructure improvements. Lastly, the Canada federal government boost will also include funding for the Alberta long term planning. Funding from the federal Gas Tax fund will be immediate and can be used to fund many municipality projects going forward in 2009. Phase 1 of the Canada Gas Tax fund will support modern Alberta infrastructure projects that will help the province stay competitive in the long-term. Over the next five years, Alberta will benefit from an injection of nearly $476 million from the federal Gas Tax fund from the government and more than $258 million has already been transferred into municipalities to support over 567 Alberta infrastructure and capital projects. $176 million from the federal Gas Tax fund will be going to smaller towns of 100,000 or less people throughout Canada. The federal Gas Tax fund is actually a part of the Building Canada initiative, a long term Canada infrastructure program that will see through the development of environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects throughout Canada in order to clean the air and water and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan for Alberta
Last year in 2008, the province of Alberta announced the 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan that included a $120 billion cash injection from the provincial government into infrastructure in order to better deal with the growing problems with population/economic growth and infrastructure/building. The 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan for Alberta is a plan that covers the next two decades and will heavily lean towards the northern part of the province including new roads and transportation routes between Edmonton to Fort McMurray, hub of the Alberta oilsands projects. Other parts of the funding will help with the 20 Year Strategic Plan of Alberta for an increase and assistance with hospitals, clinics, affordable housing, technical schools, colleges, universities and other major projects.
Canadian Federal Budget 2009 - What Can Canada Afford to Advance Infrastructure Projects for the Provinces like Alberta?
The top infrastructure projects throughout Canada are now being discussed by Parliament for the January session. So what exactly do the provinces want from the federal government, especially Alberta, which has several capital projects on the go and many more planned. Do these Alberta infrastructure projects take a back seat or is there a green light to go ahead as planned. With the current global economic crisis, Canada's federal government has a dilemna. Spend more to stimulate the Alberta economy (and that of Canada as a whole) through infrastructure spending, or wait out the global recession and plan for the intiation of capital infrastructure projects in the future? Right now, it seems as though the Canadian federal government is not providing the funding required to complete or even initiate many of the Edmonton and Calgary Alberta infrastructure projects. However, as the global economic crisis deepends, the federal government in Canada has leaned towards providing more funding for the completion of hospitals, roads, and water treatment plants in Alberta, and namely the major centres in Edmonton and Calgary. So in order to stimulate the Canadian economy, here are some of the top infrastructure projects that have been talke about in Parliament. According to ReNew Canada, here are the top five Canadian infrastructure projects asking for federal funding in 2009:
5. Clipper pipeline (Alberta) - $2B
4. Spadina subway Extension (Ontario) - $2.63B
3. Eastmain project at James Bay (Quebec) - $5B
2. Bruce A nuclear plant (Ontario) - $5.25B
1. Romaine Hydroelectric project (Quebec) - $6.5B
Here is a breakdown by province on major provincial capital infrastructure projects asking for Federal assistance this year in Western Canada:
British Columbia - Vancouver Infrastructure Spending
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell might be looking for tax reductions in the federal budget, but he also has $3 billion potentially tied up in his own gateway project infrastructure vision — essentially large highway improvements such as the $1.6 billion Port Mann-Highway One upgrade. In addition, Port Moody, in the riding of Tory Heritage Minister James Moore, is worried that the downturn in the economy might delay or even kill its $1.4 billion private-public partnership to link this Vancouver bedroom community with the downtown core.
Alberta Infrastructure Projects
Premier Ed Stelmach has a "Port Alberta" project, a strange name for an infrastructure proposal when you realize that Alberta is one province away from the Pacific Ocean. In fact, located at Edmonton’s International Airport, this is another "gateway" which would make the province more attractive to business. It is part of the Alberta infrastructure government’s plan to spend about $6 billion annually for the next 20 years on capital projects.
Saskatchewan Infrastructure Plans
The province has a five-year capital plan in place to lay new asphalt on highways all over Saskatchewan, like the twinning of the infrastructure highway from north of Saskatoon to Prince Albert. The 2009 bill for Saskatchewan’s first tranche of highway building is about $170 million.
Manitoba Infrastructure Projects
Winnipeg has about $4.5 billion of projects on its infrastructure wish list, including road and terminal improvements to make that infrastructure city’s international airport an "inland port." Then, once you get outside Manitoba’s biggest city, the province is spending another $400 million annually on a 10-year road improvement scheme, which upgrades infrastructure highways in places such as Brandon and Gimli.
'Money will flow very slowly'
The 2009 Canadian federal budget revealed that about $12 billion in new money would be set aside for capital infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, railways, universities, recreation centres and other infrastructure over the next two years. The federal government is promising $4 billion over the next two years for infrastructure projects beginning construction in the 2009 and 2010 building seasons. The Canadian government said it would approve provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects, and cover up to 50 per cent of eligible costs. But Toronto Mayor David Miller criticized the budget for creating a time-consuming application process for municipalities, in which "money will flow very slowly, if at all." "Municipalities are already investing in infrastructure," Miller told CBC News from Toronto. "We were hoping our federal partner would support us by investing in the projects we're already doing, so we can expedite them." That concern was shared by Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandell. While Mandel was pleased to see more money for Edmonton infrastructure projects, arts and recreation centres, he raised questions about how the money for these major Alberta infrastructure projects will be handed out. "It's exciting. There's going to be $12 billion for infrastructure," he said. "But I don't know what the terms and conditions of it are. There's concerns about the flow of money: What are the terms and conditions of it? How much do we have to put into it? "Is it going to be directed a lot more towards eastern Canada, because maybe they have a few more problems than we do?"
Labels: 20 Year Strategic Capital Plan for Alberta, Alberta Capital Projects, Alberta Economy, Alberta Infrastructure Projects, Edmonton Investments, Federal Gas Tax Fund, Federal Infrastructure Funding
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