Le maire O’Brien se réjouit du financement des infrastructures
Diffusion immédiate
Le 25 août 2008
Le maire O’Brien se réjouit du financement des infrastructures
accordé par la Province
OTTAWA – Le maire Larry O’Brien se dit heureux que le gouvernement de l’Ontario reconnaisse la nécessité d’accroître le financement réservé aux infrastructures.
Ce matin, pendant la conférence de l’Association des municipalités de l’Ontario, le premier ministre Dalton McGuinty a annoncé que le gouvernement provincial investirait un montant supplémentaire de 1,1 milliard de dollars pour améliorer les routes, les ponts et les installations de transport en commun des municipalités.
« La juste part du financement que devrait recevoir Ottawa est d’au moins 77,2 millions de dollars, estime le maire O’Brien. Le personnel de la Ville met régulièrement à jour la liste des priorités en matière de projets d’infrastructure. Nous sommes donc en mesure de soumettre des demandes pour obtenir une part de ce financement. »
La Loi de 2008 permettant d’investir dans l’Ontario reconnaît clairement que l’infrastructure est une responsabilité partagée. La Ville d’Ottawa a instauré au titre du renouvellement de l’infrastructure une taxe de 2 p. 100 qui permettra de financer de nouveaux projets, et l’annonce faite aujourd’hui par la Province réduira le temps nécessaire pour achever d’importants projets dans toute la ville.
« La Ville d’Ottawa a de nombreuses priorités en ce qui concerne l’infrastructure, y compris l’expansion du système de transport en commun, la modernisation du réseau d’égouts afin de réduire la contamination de nos rivières, l’amélioration des routes principales et l’actualisation des technologies, explique le maire O’Brien. Grâce à notre partenariat avec la Province, nous pourrons amorcer ces importants projets. »
août 26th, 2008 at 6:45
The Key Word Here Is Investment
The City of Ottawa will receive $77 million in funding as part of the province’s $1.1 billion investment in municipal infrastructure. Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the handout at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s annual general meeting yesterday.
While the premier did not specify how and where the money is to be used, you can be assured of two things. The first is that it is not going to help pay for the 2008/09 snow removal budget, and the second is that it is not going to be used to bring a zero based budget in 2009.
This windfall is being handed over on the basis that the funds be reinvested back into the municipality in a form of infrastructure renewal. We all know just how long our infrastructure renewal list can be. If council can keep the infrastructure renewal list short and focused, it might accomplish some good long-term benefits.
Below are my thoughts on the short-list of infrastructure renewal projects that I think that the city should focus on.
1. Cleaning up the overflow of contaminated run-off storm water into the Ottawa River. With the Federal and Provincial governments now focused on the Ottawa River problem and clean-up, it is an ideal time for the city to invest in this area in partnership with all levels of government, including the province of Quebec.
2. The Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge: No other transportation infrastructure is more important to Ottawa and Ottawa South in particular, than the building of this bridge. It is long overdue, and if properly constructed, it could also serve to include our future LRT line.
3. Social housing: This has been in a sorry state for years. Presently, there is a $600 million funding gap to simply bring our social housing up to standard. With careful planning, it can make a difference for families, seniors, and people with disabilities living under very poor conditions.
4. Renewable energy and our environment: We have our landfill that is almost as tall as the Parliament Buildings, and to add insult to injury, the landfill sits in the heart of a growing suburban community. We are making slow progress in this area, but the reality is that renewable energy and a clean environment take a huge amount of commitment and financial investment. The city is heading in the right direction with Plasco renewable energy, the recycling of our wet garbage to compost, and our recycling of paper, plastics, and metals. We should be encouraged that the city has taken the initiative to negotiate with the province for Ottawa’s Commercial and Industrial waste, as a very large part of this goes to our landfills. A sound renewable and waste recycling / diversion plan will cost some serious investment dollars in order for it to be successful.
A lot could be accomplished over a long term if the city could focus on a short list. If the list gets to long, it would be like throwing good money into the wind where there are no measurable results