McGuinty government investment benefits Township of Howick - May 25, 2007

Howick – Residents of Howick will benefit from improved local infrastructure for bridge rehabilitation through a $211,750 investment to the Township of Howick. This investment was part of the McGuinty government’s $140 million Rural Infrastructure Investment Initiative, as part of its ongoing commitment to build and sustain the economies of Ontario’s small and rural communities, announced Carol Mitchell MPP for Huron Bruce today.

This is part of the 2007 Budget, where the government addressed the infrastructure needs in small and rural municipalities by allocating an additional $70 million to provide safe and reliable local infrastructure in Ontario communities.

“This is great news for the residents of the Township of Howick,” said Mitchell. “The prosperity and high quality of life in rural communities depends heavily on the revitalization of our infrastructure for important road and bridge projects”.

The Rural Infrastructure Investment Initiative is a one-time, application-based program. Funding was allocated through a competitive process, with applications evaluated against a set of criteria established to ensure projects meet provincial priorities and have a positive economic impact on the local community.

The program builds on other significant government undertakings designed to sustain and stimulate Ontario’s small and rural municipal economies, including the government’s ReNew Ontario initiative, a strategic five-year infrastructure plan to invest more than $30 billion in the repair, revitalization and expansion of Ontario’s public infrastructure by 2010.

Other government initiatives that demonstrate the McGuinty government is on the side of families in rural and small communities in Ontario include:

· Continuing to be there for farmers when they need support. The Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs expenditures for farm income stabilization and support were more that $1 billion over the 2003-04 to 2006-07 fiscal years.
· Investing $10 million to help expand broadband coverage to the most ready rural and remote communities in southern Ontario. Through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation the government will also work to expand broadband and cellular services to connect most of northern Ontario within three years.
· Investing in rural communities through the Rural Economic Development (RED) Program. Since October 2003, 94 projects have been approved with a total provincial commitment of over $28 million.
· Providing $400 million in 2006 through Move Ontario for communities primarily outside the Greater Toronto Area for upgrades to local roads and bridges
· Investing, together with the federal government and municipalities, almost $900 million through the Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF).

“This initiative reflects our government’s commitment to strengthen small and rural communities,” said David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. “The government is on the side of families in small and rural communities. That’s why we’re providing resources and opportunities such as this to address key infrastructure needs and ensure safe, sustainable and strong communities.”

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Contact:
Carol Mitchell, MPP Huron-Bruce
519-482-5630