Gorham Residents Benefit from Local Road Improvements

For immediate release — April 25, 2005

Governments partner to make infrastructure investment

GORHAM — The Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the Gorham Local Roads Board today announced funding to reconstruct Kam-Current Road.

The governments of Canada and Ontario will each invest up to $95,535 in the project. The Gorham Local Roads Board will contribute the balance of the total eligible project cost of up to $212,300. 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. Work includes reconstruction and widening of the road, intersection upgrades and visibility improvements.

"This project will provide a safer route for commuters and facilitate more efficient flow of traffic through Gorham," said Joe Comuzzi, Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario), Minister responsible for COMRIF and MP for Thunder Bay–Superior North. "This federal investment will have a positive impact on the economic sustainability of this community." 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 of State Comuzzi.

"Our government is committed to renewing infrastructure in our rural and northern communities," said Michael Gravelle, MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North. "Reconstructing Kam-Current Road shows how we are working to renew Ontario's infrastructure to improve public services and provide a high quality of life for all Ontarians."

"With this funding and reconstruction, Gorham will provide residents with a safer, wider road to access the local school, community centre, fire hall, church, highway and businesses in the area," said Bruce Turner, Secretary and Treasurer of the Gorham Local Roads Board.

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:

Bruce Turner
Secretary and Treasurer of the Gorham Local Roads Board
807-683-7381

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

Sam Boonstra
Industry Canada
416-952-0468

Project Reference Number: 11757