Lac-Mégantic, Québec - The Secretary of State (Agriculture) and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L'Érable, the Honourable Christian Paradis, on behalf of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, and the Member of the National Assembly for Mégantic-Compton and Parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Johanne Gonthier, on behalf of the Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions, Nathalie Normandeau, have announced today that the Municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Bois will receive $123,985 under the federal-provincial agreement on the transfer of a portion of federal gasoline excise tax revenues and the Government of Québec's contribution. This is the first payment to Notre-Dame-des-Bois which will receive a total of $309,959 by the end of 2009 for important infrastructure projects.

"The funding announced today to the Municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Bois, under the Gas Tax Fund agreement, is a concrete example of the Government of Canada's commitment to support a stronger economy, a cleaner environment and more prosperous communities in Québec," said Secretary of State Paradis. "In the Government's $33 billion Building Canada Plan, the Gas Tax Fund will provide $11.8 billion nationally from 2007 until 2014. Budget 2008 recently made the Gas Tax Fund permanent beyond 2013-14 at $2 billion per year. This ensures municipalities continue to have access to a reliable source of funds that will help them better plan and finance their infrastructure needs."

"The funding announced today is a reflection of our commitment to improve the quality of life of residents. With this agreement, the Municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Bois will now be able to rely on stable funding, which will facilitate the planning of the work that needs to be done. The Plan québécois des infrastructures foresees an investment of $30 billion within the next five years, of which $3.15 billion will be used to maintain and improve municipal infrastructure. As indicated in the plan, the repair and modernization of public infrastructure is a priority for the Government of Québec," added MNA Gonthier.

The goal of the 2005 Canada-Québec Agreement is to provide funding for the renewal of municipal and local infrastructure, and specifically for municipal drinking water, wastewater, local road system and public transit infrastructure, within a context of sustainable development. The Government of Canada will provide the Government of Québec a total of $1.34 billion over five years, to which Québec will add $475.7 million, for a grand total of $1.8 billion. Including contributions from municipalities, $2.3 billion will go toward renewing municipal infrastructure. The funds will be administered by the Société de financement des infrastructures locales du Québec (SOFIL).