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By Shaun Penner

COVID-19 Resilience funding

Another $9.1 million allocated for Grande Prairie infrastructure stimulus projects

Sep 23, 2020 | 12:49 PM

Grande Prairie City Council has approved the allocation of more economic stimulus funding, which will go towards community infrastructure projects in the year 2021.

At a special City Council meeting on Tuesday, Council approved shifting over $7.3 million dollars from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s (ICIP) Public Transit Infrastructure Stream, to the new ICIP COVID-19 Resilience Stream.

The federal-provincial funding, initially earmarked to be spent on public transit needs between 2018 and 2028, will now go towards infrastructure projects like walking trail upgrades, tree planting around the city and recreation improvements, among many others.

This funding, along with $8.2 million that was allocated at Monday’s meeting from the Municipal Stimulus Program, tells Mayor Bill Given that all levels of government are focused in on economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: City Council allocates $8.2 million in stimulus funds for capital projects

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“I think this is an example of how those two other orders of government (federal and provincial) are really doing everything they can to assist Canadians in managing through COVID-19, by mitigating some of the economic fallout.”

The City will add 20 per cent in matching funds to the new fund, bringing the total to be spent to just over $9.1 million. The areas that will be spent on include:

• Emergency response and activity centre – $4 million
• Trails and pedestrian bridges – $1.37 million
• Recreation improvements – $1.25 million
• Baseball diamonds – $1,000,000
• Parks and playgrounds – $900,000
• New tree planting and replacement – $229,000
• Community improvements – $200,000
• COVID response – $150,000
• Cultural improvements – $40,000

“The intent here is to bring that money forward and to allow municipalities, if they wished, to spend it on community priorities in 2021,” said Given. “And, help build infrastructure that can make communities more resilient to COVID-19 and its impacts over the next year.”

As stated, the money was initially tabbed back in 2018 to be spent on public transit infrastructure over the next 10 years. However, Given says council was comfortable moving these funds out of that stream, as the City’s bus fleet and public transit infrastructure are already adequately funded for that span.

“So, it really was about saying ‘what are the most pressing priorities in the community?’” said Given. “Thankfully, because of investments over the last little while, our transit infrastructure in terms of buses is not a pressing need.

“That’s why, I think, council also felt comfortable transferring the funds.”

That brings City Council’s total infrastructure project funding allocation between Monday and Tuesday to over $17.3 million. Given says it is atypical for a council like Grande Prairie’s to see such an influx of provincial and federal funding in a short period of time, but adds the situation created by COVID-19 has brought about very unique circumstances.

“The word unprecedented isn’t unprecedented anymore,” said Given. “But it is still the best word we have in the english language for the situation that we find ourselves in.”

He adds that this level of provincial and federal aid, and municipal action, is a sign of “our system working like it should.”

“And that Canadians, Albertans and Grande Prairie residents can have confidence with their government systems, (which) are operating in a time of emergency we would hope, and expect, that they would be able to.”

The list of specific projects the City wishes to receive funding for must be submitted by the end of the month, and all expenditures must be made by the end of 2021.