The first payment of $33.5 million in 2009 federal gas tax funding will be delivered to Manitoba municipalities almost three months earlier this year, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Steve Ashton announced.
 
“We are pleased to see that 2009 funding has started to flow to support municipal investments in infrastructure across Manitoba,” said Ashton.  “By working together with other levels of government, we are able to provide these funds earlier, to help municipalities start construction on critical municipal infrastructure projects as quickly as possible.”
 
The Government of Canada’s Gas Tax Fund supports environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure, such as drinking water, waste water and solid waste infrastructure projects, public transit, community energy systems and local roads and bridges.  Predictable, long-term funding supports local planning and decision-making by municipalities, allowing them to build and rehabilitate public infrastructure.
 
The first payment of gas tax funds to Manitoba municipalities for 2009 will be made by the end of this month.  Municipalities will receive a total of $66.9 million in gas tax funding in 2009, with the second set of payments to be made in November.  In the past, payments have been made to municipalities in July and November.
 
Manitoba’s gas tax funding is part of a total $2 billion to be provided annually by the Government of Canada to all provinces and territories through 2013-14 and beyond.
 
“We welcome the federal government’s decision to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent measure, which will allow municipalities both big and small to better plan for and finance their infrastructure needs,” added Ashton.  “This funding is in addition to our government’s commitment to build Manitoba’s infrastructure including our 10-year, $4-billion Highway Renewal Plan, along with major, multi-year commitments of $235 million for Winnipeg’s waste-water treatment system and $150 million for rural water and waste-water facility upgrades.”