The County of Lanark Residents Benefit from Local Bridge Improvements

For immediate release — April 25, 2005

Governments partner to make infrastructure investment

PERTH — The Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the County of Lanark today announced funding to rehabilitate the Little Clyde River Bridge.

The governments of Canada and Ontario will each invest up to $143,333 in the project. The County of Lanark will contribute the balance of the total eligible project cost of up to $430,000. The Government of Canada's contribution is contingent on the successful completion of an environmental assessment of the proposed project under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

This investment, made under the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF), will provide safer road infrastructure and improved quality of life for local residents. The County of Lanark will rehabilitate the Little Clyde River Bridge in the Township of Lanark Highlands. The project will include widening the deck, replacing the asphalt surface, and installing safety barriers on the approaches and bridge deck.

"Bridges are the network that connect a community - they must therefore be safe and reliable," said the Honourable Mauril Bélanger, Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. "This infrastructure investment will provide the County of Lanark with the capacity to continue to meet both its commuter and forest industry access needs." The Government of Canada's funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework, added Minister Bélanger.

"Our government is committed to improving essential infrastructure in our rural communities," said the Honourable John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "Upgrading the Little Clyde River Bridge is an example of how we are improving local safety and providing a high quality of life for all Ontarians."

"Lanark County is pleased that our very real infrastructure needs have been recognized through this funding to rehabilitate the Little Clyde River Bridge," said Susan Freeman, Warden of the County of Lanark.

Under COMRIF, the governments of Canada and Ontario are working together with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and local partners to improve public infrastructure in small urban and rural communities. The objectives of this initiative are to enhance and renew Ontario's aging public infrastructure, improve the quality of the environment, protect the health and safety of citizens, support long-term economic growth and build strong, sustainable communities by giving municipalities the tools they need.

COMRIF is a five-year, $900-million program that focuses on local needs through infrastructure improvements to provide clean, safe drinking water, better sewage systems, improved waste management processes, safer local roads and bridges as well as other health and safety priorities. Green infrastructure is COMRIF's top priority with 55 per cent of funding for projects involving water quality, sustainable communities, climate change, and innovation.

COMRIF Intake Two will be launched in the coming weeks through a public announcement and direct contact with eligible municipalities. All Ontario municipalities of less than 250,000 people are eligible to apply to COMRIF to improve their local infrastructure.

For further information on the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, please visit www.comrif.ca.

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Contacts:

Susan Freeman
Warden of the County of Lanark
613-267-4200

Andrea Kelly
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
416-585-7066

Sam Boonstra
Industry Canada
416-952-0468

Project Reference Number: 11777