City to receive $12.9 million in federal infrastructure money
Ottawa doles out $16 million to small communities but capital still waiting
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, March 18, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The City of Yellowknife won't be receiving a portion of the $16 million in federal infrastructure money announced Wednesday but a bigger pot of money from Ottawa awaits, according to documents from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Tom Williams, left, deputy minister for Municipal and Community Affairs, joins NWT MP Michael McLeod, centre, and Robert C. McLeod, minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, at a news conference on Wednesday to announce $16 million in federal funding. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
The city is on tap to receive $12.9 million under a different fund called the National/Regional Component under the federal government's New Building Canada Plan.
Tom Williams, MACA's deputy minister, said the fund is a better fit for the city's needs.
"In a manner of speaking we did direct them away from the Small Communities Fund," Williams said. "For ease of administration it made sense to provide the city funding out of the National-Regional Component."
Williams said if an application for this fund is approved the money would be available for projects such as replacing Ruth Inch Memorial Pool. The cost of a new pool has been estimated at $30 million to $40 million.
"It's a matter of getting the application in and then we'd have to run it through the federal screen to be qualified and accepted," said Williams. "There will be a future announcement, hopefully later this year."
He pointed out all the projects receiving funding on Wednesday are "shovel-ready and that the municipalities receiving funding had their portion of the money already in place."
The GNWT and community governments are paying the lion's share of the cost for the 13 projects being funded under the Small Communities Fund, which include a recreation centre expansion in Hay River and a fitness centre in Fort Simpson.
The total cost is $49.6 million. Sixteen-million dollars is coming from the federal fund.
Mayor Mark Heyck chided the territorial government last month for an apparent "gap" in GNWT funding for infrastructure to municipalities. He pegged the amount owing to the city at $7 million.
Another $9.8 million remains to be announced.
City officials declined to comment for this story.
NWT MP Michael McLeod, who attended Wednesday's announcement, confirmed there will be future opportunities for Yellowknife to access federal funding for infrastructure programs and other projects.
"There will be further announcements. The money will not expire," said McLeod. "It's committed money. Applications, as they roll in and are approved, will be announced.
"In the new budget we'll see new money announced for new programs that have different criteria."
The federal government has committed $285 million to the NWT in infrastructure funding over the next 10 years. The vast majority of that - 85 per cent - will go toward transportation, including highways, airports and ferry service.
- with files from Shane Magee
