Government of Canada and Government of Ontario Make Infrastructure Investments in Waterloo

February 16, 2009

Peter Braid, MP for Kitchener-Waterloo, announced today that Waterloo residents will benefit from joint federal, provincial and municipal funding to rehabilitate Davenport Road. This project is just one example of all levels of government committed to stimulating the Ontario economy by reducing red tape, creating jobs for Ontarians, and getting shovels in the ground sooner.

This project will improve transportation safety and efficiency along this corridor, and encourage greater pedestrian and cycling use.  It will also create local jobs when the need for economic stimulus is greatest.

The governments of Canada and Ontario will each invest up to $966,413 in the project. The municipality of Waterloo will contribute the balance of the total eligible project cost of up to $2,899,239.

"I am very pleased that the people of our community will benefit from this significant investment,” says Braid. As a result of this important funding partnership between all levels of government, we are delivering results for the people of Kitchener-Waterloo when we need it the most.”

"We're creating jobs for families and making our communities stronger by investing in infrastructure in Ontario," said Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This is another example of how the McGuinty government is keeping Ontario moving with targeted investments that matter to people in their everyday lives.”

"We are pleased and excited to have this joint funding in place. This is great news for the City of Waterloo," says Mayor Brenda Halloran. "Thanks to this federal, provincial and municipal funding model, we can get started on making Davenport a better road for the pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles who travel it. This investment in infrastructure will be critical not just for us, but for communities throughout the province."

This project is one of 289 across the province that will soon break ground thanks to a federal-provincial-municipal investment of more than $1 Billion.  The governments of Canada and Ontario have taken steps to get shovels in the ground and to flow money faster for targeted infrastructure projects in Ontario Communities for the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons.

Because the federal and provincial governments understand that infrastructure investments will stimulate the economy, nearly 85 per cent of project applications were approved for funding.