The Governments of Canada and Quebec Provide the City of Thetford Mines with a Second Payment of $2,290,893 from the Transfer of a Portion of the Federal Gas Tax Revenues and the Government of Quebec's Contribution

July 02, 2009

Thetford Mines, Quebec – The Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L'Éarable, the Honourable Christian Paradis, along with the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, Minister responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches region and Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Frontenac, Laurent Lessard, are pleased to announce that the City of Thetford Mines will receive a second amount of $2,290,893 under the federal-provincial agreement on the transfer of a portion of federal gas tax revenues and the Government of Quebec's contribution. This is the first payment to Thetford Mines for important infrastructure projects, which could receive a total of $4,090,881 by the end of 2009.

The City of Thetford Mines will use the funds to proceed with street repairs on Bernard, Saint-Denis, St-Paul, Pie-X, Saint-Louis, Saint-André, Du Pont and Saint Alphonse Nord, between Simoneau and Caouette and the replacement of the sand remover at the wastewater treatment plant.

“Canada's economic growth is our Government's main focus,” said Minister Paradis. “In Canada's Economic Action Plan, we announced funding of close to $12 billion over two years to boost infrastructure investments. This funding is additional to the money already flowing through the Gas Tax Fund, which is now a $2 billion annual commitment to Canada's municipalities. Through our infrastructure commitments, the Government of Canada supports a stronger economy, creates jobs and contributes to community prosperity throughout Quebec and Canada.”

“The funding announced today is a reflection of our commitment to improve the quality of life of citizens. This means that the City of Thetford Mines will now be able to rely on stable, pre-determined payments, which will facilitate the planning of infrastructure work that needs to be done. These investments are part of Quebec's infrastructure plan, le Plan québécois des infrastructures, that provides an investment of $41.8 billion for the 2008-2013 period, of which $3.6 billion will be used to maintain and upgrade municipal infrastructure. The repair and modernizing of infrastructure is a priority for the Government of Quebec,” added Minister Lessard.

The goal of the 2005 federal-provincial Agreement on the transfer of a portion of the federal Gas Tax revenues between Canada and Québec is to ensure funding for the renewal of municipal and local infrastructure, specifically water, wastewater, local road and public transit infrastructure, within a context of sustainable development. From 2005 to 2010, Quebec will receive $1.151 billion from the Gas Tax Fund, in addition to the Government of Quebec's contribution of $475.7 million. The funds will be administered by the Société de financement des infrastructures locales du Québec (SOFIL).

In addition, Canada's Economic Action Plan provides the acceleration and expansion of recent historic federal investments in infrastructure, with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years.