MUNICIPALITIES APPLAUD STIMULUS DEADLINE EXTENSION

OTTAWA, Dec. 2 /CNW/ - The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) welcomed today's announcement that the federal government has extended the completion date for infrastructure stimulus projects.

"We applaud the federal government for standing by its stimulus partners," said FCM President Hans Cunningham. "Municipalities have worked flat out to keep 90 per cent of projects on schedule. Now they'll have one more construction season to turn every last stimulus dollar into a job."

FCM has called on the federal government to support the small percentage of communities requiring flexibility on the March 31, 2011 completion date. Today the federal government responded by extending the deadline to October 31, 2011, for stimulus projects funded by the Knowledge Infrastructure Program; the Building Canada Fund; the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund; and the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program.

"The Economic Action Plan was a partnership between governments to protect Canadians during a global crisis - and that partnership has delivered results," said Cunningham. "Municipalities are co-funding $10 billion worth of stimulus projects that will keep 100,000 Canadians on the job and supporting their families."

Under the Economic Action Plan, more than 20,000 projects have been completed or are under way to repair Canada's aging roads and water systems, and to provide affordable housing.

"As the stimulus program winds down, we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with our federal, provincial and territorial governments, to protect the gains we've made and prepare for the future," said Cunningham.

* The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901. FCM represents close to 90 per cent of the Canadian population - more than 1,900 municipal governments across the country.

For further information:

FCM Media at [phone]