Canada and Ontario Launch Asset Management Program

For immediate release – December 6, 2006

Ontario Municipalities to Benefit from Improved Management of Infrastructure Assets

Toronto — The governments of Canada and Ontario today delivered on their commitment to launch the Asset Management Program (AMP) component of the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF).

AMP will help eligible municipalities and Local Services Boards (LSBs) improve and increase their capacity to manage their infrastructure assets. Communities will be able to use this funding to enhance knowledge of their existing infrastructure assets; evaluate life-cycle costs associated with the infrastructure they own and operate; assess the capacity of current infrastructure and identify future needs; plan and make infrastructure financing decisions; and train municipal staff in long-term infrastructure management.

Canada and Ontario will cumulatively invest up to $5.96 million to help eligible municipalities and LSBs with asset management planning and capacity building. This investment represents 1 per cent of the total federal and provincial contribution to COMRIF. Consistent with the COMRIF program, eligible municipalities and LSBs will be required to contribute one-third of the total costs of AMP initiatives. Municipal contributions may reach $2.98 million, for a total AMP investment of nearly $9 million.

"This is an innovative program that will help municipalities prepare for economic growth," said Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health and Federal Minister responsible for COMRIF. "Building safe and prosperous communities for families to live in is important for Canada's New Government."

"The Asset Management Program helps municipalities make the best use of their current infrastructure, and helps them make prudent decisions for long-term capital investment planning," said Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "This program is another example of the McGuinty government's commitment to communities in rural Ontario."

"The Asset Management Program is an important component of the existing COMRIF partnership," said Doug Reycraft, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. "This shared federal, provincial and municipal investment in infrastructure will further assist municipal governments with asset management planning and capacity building."

"Asset management is a key component of effective municipal planning," said Lawrence Cannon, Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "Canada's New Government is pleased to support a tool that will help eligible communities identify their assets and devise a long-term infrastructure plan to assure their community's future."

"The McGuinty government along with its municipal and federal partners are making excellent progress in correcting past neglect and modernizing the province's rural infrastructure," said David Caplan, Ontario Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. "Now through COMRIF, we have established a framework to help municipalities make the right infrastructure decisions at the right time."

COMRIF is a five-year, $900-million initiative that responds to local needs through infrastructure upgrades to provide clean and 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 at least 55 per cent of funding going towards projects involving water quality, sustainable communities and innovation.

For further information on COMRIF's AMP, please visit www.comrif.ca.

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Contacts:

Erik Waddell
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
613-957-0200

Chris Flavelle
Office of the Honourable Leona Dombrowsky
416-326-3072

Pat Vanini
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
416-971-9856