**** TRANSPORTATION Media Release
Province to Implement COVID-19 Program to Improve Infrastructure
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To support job creation, stimulate the economy and keep Nova Scotians safe, the province will take advantage of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.
The new funding stream expands eligibility criteria to include health and education infrastructure. As two areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this makes it possible to address relevant COVID-19 needs in schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
“Across our province and country, the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected life as we know it,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Lloyd Hines. “In order to move forward into a new normal safely and efficiently, we need to maximize opportunities that will support job creation, contribute to the stability of our economy, and help our health and education infrastructure evolve to meet COVID-19 safety standards.”
On Aug.5, the Government of Canada announced changes to the program making it possible for provinces and territories to transfer up to 10 per cent of their existing allocation to the new COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.
Under the new terms, projects under the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream may be eligible to receive a federal contribution of up to 80 per cent of total eligible project costs. This creates a savings of about $57.7 million for the province.
The COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream is one of several funding agreements the province has negotiated to help address impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the Safe Restart Agreement announced Sept. 16, municipalities will receive $67.5 million to help address lower revenue from transit and taxes, as well as increased costs associated with COVID-19 infection prevention measures.
Quotes:
“With the health and economic challenges presented by the pandemic, we are supporting Canadians through our new COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream with immediate investments to help get more people working and deal with the public health and safety challenges all Canadians are concerned with. Every dollar we invest must do triple duty – create jobs, give everyone a fair shot to succeed and make communities cleaner and more resilient. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds stronger communities.”
– Andy Fillmore, Halifax MP and parliamentary secretary to the federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna, on behalf of the minister
Quick Facts:
— the program is an Integrated Bilateral Agreement between the province and the federal government
— through the program, $828.5 million in federal funding was made available to eligible projects in the province
Additional Resources:
Infrastructure Canada Investing in Canada Plan: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icip-pidc-eng.html
