Canada invests in active transportation infrastructure planning in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's

PORTUGAL COVE-ST. PHILIP'S, NL, Nov. 9, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Joanne Thompson, Member of Parliament for St. John's East, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, and Her Worship Carol McDonald, Mayor of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, announced more than $43,000 in federal funding to support the Town's Environmental and Education Trail System.

Funding will support conceptual plans and public engagement that will guide the development of pathways and boardwalks. These will allow residents to move about the community and offer educational content on local habitats and water protection. The site plans will also include facilities for outdoor learning and community programming.

By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is growing our country's economy, increasing the resiliency of our communities, and improving the lives of Canadians.

Quotes

"By helping residents to walk, roll, scoot, or bike through their communities, we are supporting healthy lifestyles, more engagement with the environment, and stronger economies. The Environmental and Education Trail System will benefit residents of all ages in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's."

Joanne Thompson, Member of Parliament for St. John's East, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

"Our town has a rich landscape to discover, and it brings me great joy that our residents and visitors have a new opportunity to explore what our town has to offer with the installation of an Environmental and Education Trail System. I look forward to hearing what our residents discover and learn."

Her Worship Carol McDonald, Mayor of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's

Quick facts

• Active transportation refers to the movement of people or goods powered by human activity, includes walking, cycling and the use of human-powered or hybrid mobility aids such as wheelchairs, scooters, e-bikes, rollerblades, snowshoes and cross-country skis, and more.
• The Active Transportation Fund will provide $400 million over five years to support a modal shift toward active transportation, in support of Canada's first National Active Transportation Strategy. It supports expanding networks of pathways, bike lanes, trails and pedestrian bridges, in addition to supporting active transportation planning and stakeholder engagement activities.
• The Active Transportation Fund's first general application intake closed on March 31, 2022. Applications for planning and capital projects from eligible Indigenous recipients continue to be accepted on an ongoing basis.
• Canada's National Active Transportation Strategy is the country's first coast-to-coast-to-coast strategic approach for promoting active transportation and its benefits. The strategy's aim is to make data-driven and evidence-based investments to build new and expanded active transportation networks and to create safe environments for more equitable, healthy, active and sustainable travel options to thrive.
• Active transportation provides tangible benefits to communities, shortening commute times for families, creating good middle-class jobs, growing the economy, promoting healthier lifestyles, cutting air and noise pollution, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• The funding announced today builds on the Government of Canada's work through the Atlantic Growth Strategy to create well-paying middle-class jobs, strengthen local economies, and build inclusive communities.

Associated links

Active Transportation Fund:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/trans/index-eng.html

National Active Transportation Strategy:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/trans/active-strat-actif-eng.html 

Infrastructure in Newfoundland:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-nl-eng.html 

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn 
Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

(media only), please contact: Jean-Sébastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, [email protected]; Stephanie Tucker, Director of Economic Development, Marketing and Communications, Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, 709-895-8000 extension 271, [email protected]; Media Relations: Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]