Residents and visitors to Charlottetown and its historical waterfront and university are benefitting from improved road infrastructure, and upgrades to water and sewage services thanks to investments made under the Building Canada Fund and Build PEI.
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Honourable Ron MacKinley, PEI Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TBC), Mayor Clifford Lee and University of PEI President Wade MacLauchlan visited the completed projects.
“Our government is proud to invest in infrastructure projects that create jobs and enhances the quality of life for Islanders,” said Minister Shea. “We are pleased to partner with our provincial and municipal counterparts to improve infrastructure in our capital region.”
The City of Charlottetown is among the many communities across PEI to have received funding from the Building Canada Fund – Community Component infrastructure program. The Communities Component focuses on projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000 – helping these smaller communities face their unique challenges.
“These projects not only help beautify the city’s downtown, but they also help improve the health and wellness of Canada’s Birthplace,” says Minister MacKinley. “I’m proud to have been able to provide support, through Build PEI, for these very important projects.”
The Government of Canada, through the Building Canada Fund, the Province of PEI, through its Build PEI initiative, and the City of Charlottetown shared the cost of the road infrastructure improvements and water and sewage services projects worth over $6.5 million. The University of Prince Edward Island contributed over $93,000, allocated to the UPEI ring road project.
“We’re at a time in history when all levels of government must work cooperatively to maintain and improve our municipal infrastructure,” said Mayor Clifford Lee. “These projects reaffirm the federal and provincial commitment to keeping the Birthplace Capital a vibrant, safe and attractive place to live and visit.”
The completed projects included transportation rehabilitation to city streets, extension of sewer and water services to fully connect properties and businesses along the historic waterfront, construction of sidewalks along major roadways and school areas, the installation of underground piping for storm water control, and the redesign and reconstruction of a section of the UPEI ring road to meet current and future traffic use.
“The funding provided through the Build Canada Fund and Build PEI is greatly appreciated by the UPEI community,” says Greg Clayton, Director of Facilities Management at UPEI. “It allowed phase one of the Ring Road replacement to be completed and has resulted in increased safety for everyone who uses this roadway.”
For more information on the Building Canada Fund visit http://www.buildingcanada.gc.ca or http://www.gov.pe.ca/go/infrastructure. For more information on capital projects on PEI visit www.buildpei.ca.