The project to repair the docks, hard surces and a splash pad at Lake Aquitaine in Mississauga received $237,250 in Federal Funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program.J.P. MOCZULSKI/The Globe and Mail
The Liberal government has doubled an infrastructure fund that must give out money under a tight deadline, and the granting agencies say they have not yet decided how to hand out the cash.
The Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program provides matching funds for municipalities and non-profit groups to renovate community facilities, such as recreation centres, curling rinks and legion halls. It is administered by six regional development agencies and it was named to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederation next year. The fund was given $150-million to spend over two years – from 2016 to 2018 – when it was created under the previous Conservative government.
In the Liberals' first budget, in March, the fund was given an extra $150-million over two years, along with a boost to a similar program, the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, which saw its annual budget increase from $30-million to more than $80-million.
The Liberals, who won power on a platform promising $60-billion for infrastructure over 10 years, are focusing much of the first phase of their funding on "social infrastructure," such as affordable housing, and the upgrading of existing facilities, which can be done more quickly than other large-scale projects.
On Friday, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced the government would invest $342-million in "cultural and recreational infrastructure" over two years, which included the increased budget for both funds.
"Our plan will renovate, expand and improve these important community gathering places," Mr. Morneau said in a statement.
Each regional agency has administered its share of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program a little differently. For example, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, which has $16.6-million of the pie, has been evaluating, approving and announcing projects on an ongoing basis since last year.
The two agencies that received the largest shares of the fund – Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), each with more than $40-million – gave applicants very short timelines to seek funding last year. After the program was announced on May 15, 2015, the two agencies gave applicants June deadlines to make submissions, so projects could be approved and announced in July, ahead of August's election call. After the program was announced in May of last year, Ontario Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid called the timeline "ridiculously short."
Recipients must begin construction after April 1, 2016, and complete it before March 31, 2018, in order to receive their funds, with priority given to applicants who can finish before June 30, 2017.
Philip Proulx, a spokesperson for Navdeep Bains, the minister responsible for the regional agencies, said this week that the departments "have not determined yet" how they are going to spend the new money. He said the Liberal government doubled the fund's size because there was so much demand from stakeholders, including municipalities.
Chris Hannay