STATEMENT BY FCM PRESIDENT JEAN PERRAULT FOLLOWING TODAY´S SPEECH BY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES JOHN BAIRD

WHISTLER, B.C., JUNE 8, 2009 – The following statement was released today by Jean Perrault , President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and Mayor of Sherbrooke, Que., following the speech to FCM delegates by Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities John Baird:

“Today Minister Baird showed a commitment to cooperation and flexibility that will help keep the economic stimulus plan moving forward, create new jobs, and invest in the foundations of our economy and quality of life.

We applaud Minister Baird's commitment today that the federal government will pay a full one-third share of any costs incurred on municipal stimulus projects before April 1, 2011. This puts to rest municipal concerns that failure to complete a stimulus project by that date would result in a 100 per cent claw-back of federal funding.

We were also pleased to hear that municipal stimulus projects do not require any additional federal approvals once federal funding is announced. This will help municipalities move projects ahead quickly.

The Economic Action Plan announced in Budget 2009 included a record one-time federal investment of $12 billion for infrastructure. Minister Baird has worked tirelessly to cut red tape and streamline approvals so municipalities can start putting those dollars to work this year.

Working together, governments can make sure that Canadians get the most jobs and value out of their economic stimulus plan. We welcome Minister Baird's commitment to federal-municipal collaboration, and we look forward to putting our relationship to work on behalf of Canadians.”

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For more information: Jocelyn Sweet, 613-907-6395, jsweet@fcm.ca