The governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island today announced an investment in municipal infrastructure planning for the Town of Stratford.
Through the Capacity Building Fund, a component of the Canada-PEI Gas Tax Fund Agreement, the investment will help the Town of Stratford develop a community sustainability plan.
The Town of Stratford has received $118,595 from the Gas Tax Fund, towards a $180,600 project to hire a Sustainable Economic Development Coordinator. The town is in the process of developing a community sustainability plan and a decision-making framework based on the four pillars of a sustainable community: economic, social, environmental and cultural. The town of Stratford would like to embed sustainability into its organizational culture and to develop a sustainable local economy based on the principles identified in Stratford’s Community Sustainability Plan. The funding from the Capacity Building Fund will assist in the hiring of the Coordinator for the first three years of employment, after which the position will be entirely sustained by the municipality.
“Our government encourages the development of a sustainable local economy, which is important for communities here in Prince Edward Island and across Canada,” said MP Gerald Keddy, Parliamentary Secretary for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “The hiring of a new Sustainable Economic Development Coordinator will help the Town of Stratford to better plan and finance its infrastructure needs.”
“This agreement represents a new way of working together, with all levels of government at the table working in partnership to help communities respond to the issues they face,” said Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour. “The Province is committed to giving our municipalities the tools they need to become truly sustainable.”
“The Town of Stratford is committed to a future where decisions and actions are based on sustainability principles so that future generations can enjoy the quality of life that we now take for granted” stated Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “We are very grateful to our federal and provincial partners for this funding which will allow Stratford to hire a Sustainable Economic Development Coordinator to help create a sustainable local economy and to transform our culture into one based on sustainability principles”.
The Capacity Building Fund is an important component of the Gas Tax Fund as it helps municipalities in establishing long-term sustainability by developing and implementing projects such as the creation of integrated community sustainability plans, land use assessment, employee resource development and feasibility studies for municipality-wide services.
The Gas Tax fund is available to local governments for environmentally sustainable projects that lead to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner air or cleaner water. The Gas Tax Fund agreement is administered in Prince Edward Island by the PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour. Representatives from the Federation of PEI Municipalities preside as members on the management committee.
Through its unprecedented $33 billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is working along side of the Province of PEI to provide long-term, stable and predictable funding including the Gas Tax Fund to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada. Building Canada supports a stronger, safer and better country.
For more information about federal and provincial infrastructure initiatives on Prince Edward Island, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca or www.gov.pe.ca/go/infrastructure.