Municipality of Markstay-Warren Residents Benefit from Local Bridge Improvements

For immediate release — April 25, 2005

Governments partner to make infrastructure investment

MARKSTAY — The Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the Municipality of Markstay-Warren today announced funding to improve four bridges.

The governments of Canada and Ontario will each invest up to $414,000 for the project. The Municipality of Markstay-Warren will contribute the balance of the total eligible project cost of up to $1,242,000. 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. As part of the upgrades to the bridges on Nipissing Road, Noland Road, Dondo Road and Park Drive, new concrete culverts and sealant deck joints will be installed, road approaches will be realigned, and barriers, steel rails, postings and piers will be replaced.

"Improvements to these bridges will ensure the safe crossing of area residents and emergency vehicles," said Raymond Bonin, MP for Nickel Belt. "It is essential that rural communities have a reliable road infrastructure to maintain their economic stability and remain attractive to visitors." 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 Mr. Bonin.

"Ontario's rural plan is helping Ontario's rural and northern communities achieve more prosperity – upgrading essential infrastructure is a key part of this plan," said David Ramsay, MPP for Timiskaming–Cochrane. "We are proud to participate in rehabilitating these bridges as these improvements will provide the residents of Markstay-Warren with better traffic safety and improved access to their community."

"I am grateful for the contributions of the federal and provincial governments for this important infrastructure project in our community," said Steven Reynolds, Mayor of the Municipality of Markstay-Warren.

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:

Steven Reynolds
Mayor of the Municipality of Markstay-Warren
705-853-4536

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

Sam Boonstra
Industry Canada
416-952-0468

Project Reference Number: 11813