Slave Lake and Wood Buffalo residents benefit from almost $1.6 million in investments

May 20, 2008

Slave Lake, Alberta – The federal and provincial governments will support the construction of a new library in the Town of Slave Lake and road safety improvements in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Brian Jean, Member of Parliament for Fort McMurray—Athabasca and Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, and Pearl Calahasen, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lesser Slave Lake, today announced the funding of almost $1.6 million through the Canada-Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CAMRIF).

“These infrastructure investments will provide Slave Lake residents with greater access to library resources and services, and improve traffic safety in Wood Buffalo,” said MP Brian Jean. “The Government of Canada is proud to partner with the Province of Alberta to ensure our communities remain safe and productive places to live, work and raise families.”

The project for the Town of Slave Lake involves the construction of a new regional library that will have enhanced programs, larger circulation areas for visitors, and services for all age groups. The library will be centrally located in the town and is expected to see an increase in visitors to approximately 50,000 from 37,500.

The project for the RM of Wood Buffalo will upgrade the community’s traffic signals and pedestrian crossings. The project will replace all incandescent lamps used in the traffic signals with light emitting diodes (LEDs) and upgrade pedestrian crossings to the latest standard.

“Improved quality of life and traffic safety will be the results of these investments for the communities of Slave Lake and Wood Buffalo,” said MLA Pearl Calahasen. “Slave Lake’s new regional library will serve as a vibrant cultural centre for the whole area.”

Under the initial CAMRIF Agreement signed in June 2006, the federal and provincial governments each committed $88 million to the fund, with participating local governments expected to make up the remaining costs. In April 2007, the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta each provided an additional $19 million to the Canada-Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund as part of their commitment to help smaller communities meet their pressing infrastructure needs. The total amount available from the CAMRIF, with federal and provincial investment and matching local government contribution in projects, is $321 million.

A minimum of 55 per cent of funding under CAMRIF targets green infrastructure projects that contribute to community economic development and environmental quality of life. These include water, wastewater, solid waste, environmental energy improvements and public transit. The fund also invests in recreational infrastructure, tourism, cultural projects, local roads and broadband connectivity. Projects are selected on a competitive basis from applications received from Alberta communities.