News Release

November 9, 2007

The City of Thetford Mines receives an initial payment of $981,811 from the Transfer of a Portion of the Federal Gasoline Excise Tax Revenues and the Government of Quebec’s Contribution

Thetford Mines, Quebec - The Secretary of State for Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L’Érable, the Honorable Christian Paradis, on behalf of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Minister responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches region and Member of the National Assembly for Frontenac, Laurent Lessard, on behalf of the Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions, Nathalie Normandeau, announced today that the City of Thetford Mines will receive $981,811 under the federal-provincial agreement on the transfer of a portion of federal gasoline excise tax revenues and the Government of Québec’s contribution. This is the first payment for the City of Thetford Mines, which will receive a total of $4,090,881 over the next four years for important infrastructure projects.

“Ensuring Canadians have access to quality infrastructure is an important priority for the Government of Canada. This is why we launched our $33 billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, of which $17.6 billions will be used as base funding to address communities’ infrastructure needs,” said Secretary of State Paradis. “I am pleased that the City of Thetford Mines can fix their local roads thanks to contributions provided through the Canada-Québec gas tax agreement, which is a component of our Building Canada plan. Projects such as these demonstrate how the Government of Canada’s approach to open federalism supports a stronger economy, a cleaner environment and more prosperous communities in Québec.”

“The funding announced today is a reflection of our commitment to improve the quality of life of residents. With this agreement, the City of Thetford Mines will now be able to rely on stable annual funding, which will facilitate planning the work that needs to be done. As proven by the Plan québécois des infrastructures, which foresees an investment of $30 billion within the next five years, of which $3.15 billions will be used to standardize municipal infrastructures. The repair and modernization of public infrastructure is an important priority for the Government of Québec,” said the Minister responsible for the Region, Laurent Lessard.

The goal of the Canada-Québec Agreement is to provide funding for the renewal of municipal and local infrastructure, and specifically for municipal drinking water, wastewater, local road system and public transit infrastructure, within a context of sustainable development. Canada’s Government will pay the Government of Québec a total of $1.34 billion over five years, to which Québec will add $475.7 million, for a grand total of $1.8 billion. Including contributions from municipalities, $2.3 billion will go toward renewing municipal infrastructure. The funds will be administered by the Société de financement des infrastructures locales du Québec (SOFIL).

Contacts:

Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613 991-0700

Infrastructure Canada
613 948-1148

Jonathan Trudeau
Press Secretary
Office of the Deputy Premier and
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions
418 691-2050

Jack Roy
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
418 380-2525