Canada's New Budget to Boost Infrastructure?

With the fate of Canada's conservative government at stake, details are leaking regarding the proposed federal budget, including billions of dollars in new infrastructure spending.

1 minute read

January 27, 2009, 1:00 PM PST

By Michael Dudley


"The [Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper] is creating a new $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund in tomorrow's budget to help provinces, territories and municipalities get more job-rich public works projects started, Transport Minister John Baird announced today.

[T]he new $4-billion infrastructure fund's money would be for projects that take place over the next two years. The $7-billion in new infrastructure funding also includes a $2-billion fund to support repairs and maintenance and accelerated construction at colleges and universities across Canada, and a $1-billion Green Infrastructure Fund.

The provinces have put forward hundreds of ideas for how to spend the multibillions the government plans to make available for roads, bridges, water-treatment plants, broadband initiatives and the like."

Monday, January 26, 2009 in The Globe and Mail

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