Supporting communities across British Columbia

VICTORIA, BC, June 11, 2020 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is taking decisive action to support communities and stabilize the economy across Canada, while first and foremost ensuring that the health and safety of all Canadians are protected during this COVID-19 pandemic.  

Today, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Catherine McKenna announced that British Columbia has received $280.4 million through the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) for the 2020–21 fiscal year to fund its most pressing infrastructure needs.

The GTF provides communities with stable and flexible funding for their infrastructure priorities across a wide range of categories. For example, in the District of Hudson's Hope, the GTF supported an award-winning project to install 1,550 solar panels that are providing clean power to 22 local government buildings, reducing their electricity consumption by 60%. The District of Squamish is using its GTF allocation to raise and widen the Squamish River Dike in Brackendale, which will improve protection against earthquakes as well as rising river levels. And in Prince George upgraded the Masich Place Stadium so they can host university soccer, high school football and rugby games and championships.  

By enabling communities to plan for their current and future needs, and build or improve the infrastructure that will help them thrive through any circumstance, the GTF is a critical tool that will help ensure British Columbia remains among the best places in the world to live for generations to come.

The Government of Canada will be announcing new measures in the coming weeks and months to help Canadian communities get back on their feet and make them even more resilient in the future.

Quotes

"Our Government is making immediate investments in infrastructure that will play a vital role in helping municipalities and First Nations communities revive their economies, and will improve the lives of Canadians. As a first step, we are accelerating this year's payment through the federal Gas Tax Fund. In British Columbia, this will put $280.4 million in the hands of 188 communities to improve local infrastructure like drinking water systems, public transit, high-speed broadband, and recreation centres."

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"The accelerated delivery of Federal Gas Tax Funding will provide much needed support as local governments implement their capital plans for this construction season. This initiative by the Government of Canada provides greater certainty for communities as we renew and expand critical infrastructure."

Maja Tait, President of the Union of BC Municipalities

Quick Facts

• The federal Gas Tax Fund is a long-term indexed source of funding for over 3,600 communities across the country. In recent years it has supported thousands of projects annually.
• The federal Gas Tax Fund has 18 project eligibility categories, including capacity building, sport infrastructure and roads. Communities can use the funds immediately for priority projects, bank them for later use, pool the dollars with other communities for shared infrastructure projects, or use them to finance major infrastructure expenditures.

Related product

2020‒2021 federal Gas Tax Fund allocations in British Columbia by community:

Backgrounder

British Columbia's 2020‒21 federal Gas Tax Fund allocations

The Government of Canada is providing a total of $280.4 million under the GTF for the following 188 British Columbia communities.

Ultimate Recipient	Allocation 2020‒21 ($)
100 Mile House	138,507
Abbotsford	6,009,634
Alberni-Clayoquot	461,674
Alert Bay	75,718
Anmore	61,738
Armstrong	270,486
Ashcroft	120,735
Barriere	127,263
Belcarra	57,049
Bowen Island	66,137
Bulkley-Nechako	858,116
Burnaby	751,611
Burns Lake	130,042
Cache Creek	95,679
Campbell River	1,427,471
Canal Flats	83,256
Capital	1,124,475
Cariboo	1,704,188
Castlegar	393,663
Central Coast	194,895
Central Kootenay	1,356,428
Central Okanagan	749,847
Central Saanich	763,196
Chase	151,393
Chetwynd	160,531
Chilliwack	3,583,604
Clearwater	152,993
Clinton	82,119
Coldstream	503,533
Columbia Shuswap	896,354
Colwood	765,091
Comox	645,872
Comox Valley	1,029,891
Coquitlam	471,912
Courtenay	1,133,150
Cowichan Valley	1,628,092
Cranbrook	899,344
Creston	280,466
Cumberland	213,171
Dawson Creek	567,965
Delta	361,058
Duncan	263,327
East Kootenay	736,623
Elkford	160,363
Enderby	179,945
Esquimalt	798,612
Fernie	293,732
Fort St. James	122,420
Fort St. John	903,892
Fraser Lake	96,732
Fraser Valley	821,563
Fraser-Fort George	693,206
Fruitvale	135,980
Gibsons	249,051
Gold River	106,165
Golden	211,276
Grand Forks	225,636
Granisle	67,885
Greenwood	83,129
Harrison Hot Springs	116,945
Hazelton	68,306
Highlands	148,824
Hope	315,419
Houston	181,166
Hudson's Hope	97,869
Invermere	197,927
Kamloops	3,856,996
Kaslo	95,889
Kelowna	5,419,350
Kent	310,618
Keremeos	118,377
Kimberley	367,807
Kitimat	397,538
Kitimat-Stikine	741,508
Kootenay Boundary	478,351
Ladysmith	414,804
Lake Country	599,296
Lake Cowichan	190,978
Langford	1,543,447
Langley (City)	132,591
Langley (Township)	406,084
Lantzville	206,939
Lillooet	150,930
Lions Bay	59,117
Logan Lake	139,054
Lumby	132,316
Lytton	65,611
Mackenzie	211,529
Maple Ridge	301,264
Masset	88,520
McBride	81,066
Merritt	355,763
Metchosin	253,388
Metro Vancouver	130,491
Midway	82,456
Mission	1,690,460
Montrose	97,069
Mount Waddington	198,853
Nakusp	122,715
Nanaimo (City)	3,866,429
Nanaimo (Regional District)	1,745,163
Nelson	500,333
New Denver	75,044
New Hazelton	79,550
New Westminster	267,570
North Coast	203,317
North Cowichan	1,304,840
North Okanagan	836,639
North Saanich	528,843
North Vancouver (City)	213,415
North Vancouver (District)	312,273
Northern Rockies	282,235
Oak Bay	817,099
Okanagan-Similkameen	1,036,419
Oliver	262,653
Osoyoos	269,264
Parksville	582,114
Peace River	1,017,089
Peachland	283,709
Pemberton	163,521
Penticton	1,476,868
Pitt Meadows	110,702
Port Alberni	799,581
Port Alice	83,087
Port Clements	67,001
Port Coquitlam	230,513
Port Edward	74,791
Port Hardy	229,132
Port McNeill	153,541
Port Moody	155,522
Pouce Coupe	88,478
Powell River	609,192
Prince George	3,171,539
Prince Rupert	569,734
Princeton	174,260
qathet	345,361
Qualicum Beach	431,733
Queen Charlotte	91,004
Quesnel	471,149
Radium Hot Springs	87,804
Revelstoke	372,944
Richmond	648,536
Rossland	212,161
Saanich	4,862,125
Salmo	103,175
Salmon Arm	800,760
Sayward	68,222
Sechelt	485,341
Sechelt Indian Government District	84,266
Sicamous	157,415
Sidney	546,656
Silverton	63,337
Slocan	66,579
Smithers	282,572
Sooke	602,623
Spallumcheen	270,149
Sparwood	214,477
Squamish	876,814
Squamish-Lillooet	326,747
Stewart	72,012
Strathcona	484,878
Summerland	544,256
Sun Peaks	81,066
Sunshine Coast	664,822
Surrey	1,604,828
Tahsis	65,569
Taylor	116,988
Telkwa	111,008
Terrace	545,435
Thompson-Nicola	1,019,532
Tofino	136,485
Trail	379,766
Tumbler Ridge	138,802
Ucluelet	127,431
Valemount	98,121
Vancouver	1,944,757
Vanderhoof	242,060
Vernon	1,745,121
Victoria	3,667,997
View Royal	493,427
Warfield	125,873
Wells	64,263
West Kelowna	1,430,292
West Vancouver	182,219
Whistler	554,321
White Rock	114,829
Williams Lake	507,955
Zeballos	59,631

Other B.C. Gas Tax Fund Streams:

Ultimate Recipient	Allocation 2020-21 ($)
Greater Vancouver Regional Fund (TransLink)	140,057,850
Strategic Priorities Fund	30,655,901

Associated links

Prime Minister announces support to help communities create jobs and restart the economy: https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/06/01/prime-minister-announces-support-help-communities-create-jobs-and

Government of Canada Resources - Coronavirus disease (COVID 19): www.canada.ca/coronavirus

The federal Gas Tax Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/gtf-fte-eng.html 

The federal Gas Tax Fund in British Columbia: https://www.ubcm.ca/EN/main/funding/renewed-gas-tax-agreement.html

Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/bc-eng.html

Twitter: @INFC_eng 
Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 613-949-1759, [email protected]; Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca