Prime Minister Stephen Harper released on February 13, important details on the New Building Canada Plan, including support that will ensure small communities have stable, long-term and unprecedented access to funding for vital infrastructure projects. 

Details released relate to key elements of the New Building Canada Fund, including dedicated funding for small communities, Provincial-Territorial allocations, project categories eligible for support, cost-sharing thresholds, and public-private partnership (P3) screening requirements. 

The new Plan details will provide municipalities, provinces and territories with the information they need to plan public infrastructure projects in their jurisdictions.  

The New Building Canada Plan, which will provide significant funding in support for infrastructure in Canada over the next 10 years, is expected to launch in spring 2014. The new Plan will support projects that focus on economic growth, job creation and productivity, including building roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail and other public infrastructure that ensures the prosperity of all Canadians.

The program details are the result of the feedback received from provinces, territories and infrastructure partners over the course of 2012 and 2013. The Government continues to work with partners and stakeholders on outstanding program details, leading to a full New Building Canada Plan launch in the spring.

The Government is ensuring that taxpayers’ dollars go further under the New Building Canada Plan by cost-sharing infrastructure projects with provinces, territories, municipalities and private partners.

Through the original Building Canada Plan, infrastructure stimulus measures and other infrastructure initiatives, the federal government has supported more than 43,000 projects in Canada. Launched in 2007, the original Building Canada plan provided billions in stable, flexible and predictable funding for infrastructure across the country over seven years. The New Plan will build on the success of the original plan.

The federal government remains committed to having funding in place for the spring 2014 construction season. However, at this time details on the application and selection process are still not available. Our best advice to members is to have their projects "application ready" to maximize chances of successful applications.