Improvements to make travel and trade more efficient and secure
REGINA, AB, April 2, 2013 /CNW/ - Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament for Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, today announced funding to expand and modernize the North Portal Border Crossing. This announcement follows through on commitments in the Beyond the Border Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in December 2011.
"Modern and efficient border crossings are essential to keeping trade moving and our economy on the right track," said MP Lukiwski. "The Harper government will invest up to $10 million for the expansion and modernization of the North Portal's Canada Border Services Agency commercial facility to support the safe, secure and efficient movement of people and goods at the North Portal crossing in Saskatchewan."
The North Portal Border Crossing operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week and is the main Canada-U.S. border crossing in Saskatchewan with almost $12 billion in two-way trade in 2012. North Portal is also an important crossing for travellers with over 92,000 passenger vehicles passing through this point of entry in 2012.
"These improvements will provide increased capacity for commercial traffic and will minimize border wait times, while at the same time strengthening security," added MP Lukiwski. "With the new Building Canada Plan, we are delivering the largest investment in infrastructure in Canadian history through Economic Action Plan 2013 - investments that create jobs, economic growth, and provide a high quality of life for families in every city and community across the country."
The Government of Canada has allocated new funding for the North Portal improvements in Economic Action Plan 2012. Funding will flow through the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund.
The $2.1-billion Gateways and Border Crossings Fund (GBCF) is a program used to improve the flow of goods and people between Canada and the rest of the world. GBCF infrastructure funding targets projects that increase the productivity and efficiency of strategic transportation assets of national significance, such as bridges, roads and ports, which are part of international gateways, strategic trade corridors and key land border crossings.
This initiative adds to the government's unprecedented investments in infrastructure, announced in Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013. The government is delivering the new Building Canada plan to construct roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Combined with other federal infrastructure investments, it supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation. Since 2006, the federal government has made unprecedented investments in over 43,000 projects to build roads, bridges, commuter rail and other important public infrastructure.
The project is among key border crossings identified in the Beyond the Border Action Plan which was established with the United States to enhance our mutual security, prosperity and economic competitiveness. The action plan focuses on four areas: addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.
Backgrounder
Beyond the Border - North Portal Border Crossing Project
The North Portal Port of Entry was designated as a priority border crossing in the Beyond the Border Action Plan initiative focused on border infrastructure. Under the Beyond the Border Action Plan, released by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in December 2011, it was identified as a priority for investments by the Canadian Government.
Under the Beyond the Border Action Plan, Canada and the U.S. agreed to make significant infrastructure upgrades at key border crossings to facilitate trade and travel, thereby creating jobs and supporting growth and prosperity. The Government of Canada has allocated up to $10 million in new funding for the North Portal improvements in Budget 2012. Funding will flow through the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund. To date, the Government of Canada has dedicated over $2.1 billion under the Fund to ensure the efficient flow of goods and people between Canada and the rest of the world.
The Beyond the Border Action Plan focuses on four areas: addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.
This project involves the expansion and modernization of the Canada Border Services Agency commercial facility; expansion and re-alignment of the commercial staging area and commercial traffic lanes; and re-configuration and expansion of the border crossing roadways. The North Portal Port of Entry, located in Saskatchewan, is connected to Highway 39 on the Canadian side and Highway 52 on the United States side, and is the ninth busiest crossing in Canada.
The Government of Canada has already spent $12 million to rehabilitate and upgrade sections of Highway 39 leading to the North Portal border crossing in response to the increasing importance of this vital trade corridor in support of the development and growth in the natural resource sector of the economy based in Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta. Northbound traffic is growing exponentially due to expanding oil and gas industries in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Expansion of secondary inspection facilities and realignment of the commercial traffic lanes would alleviate the approach for the commercial vehicles reporting for inspection, for unloading trucks in the commercial vehicle secondary inspection area, addressing officer safety concerns in the secondary inspection process.
The planning phase of this project is scheduled to begin this year, with the construction phase expected to start in 2014 and to take approximately two years to complete.
Further details on the Beyond the Border Action Plan can be found at www.actionplan.gc.ca/border
SOURCE: Transport Canada
Geneviève Sicard
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable
Denis Lebel Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
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