(AlbertaIndex, February 15, Friday) --- Edmonton has received another $96 million in provincial funding on affordable housing and infrastructure projects just as it started construction work on the massive $673 million extension of its southern light rail transit system.
The LRT extension, the city’s largest infrastructure project, will include four new stations over 7.5km of new tracks from the Health Sciences Station completed in 2006 to Century Park (Heritage Mall).
The McKernan/Belgravia and South Campus stations are due to open in April 2009, while Southgate and Century Park will be opened in early 2010. Planners predicts ridership will double once the extension is complete.
The new track runs along the west side of 114 Street before turning east on 61 Avenue and south along 111 Street. The builders will add pedestrian underpasses two bridges, including one over the busy Whitemud Drive, and a recreation trail along the track.As a run-up to election campaigning, Premier Ed Stelmach last month announced an allocation of $96 million to the city for local infrastructure and affordable housing projects.
This funding is part of a commitment made last year to the city, including almost $51 million in infrastructure funding from the province’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI), and more than $45 million for affordable housing initiatives.
“We heard very clearly from municipalities that they needed help to address growth pressures and we’re working with them,” said Premier Stelmach. “We have established a secure, long-term funding arrangement for Alberta municipalities, and today is a celebration of our partnership with the city of Edmonton. This funding will address the local priorities identified by city council to better meet the affordable housing and infrastructure needs of Edmontonians.”
The Municipal Sustainability Initiative is a program to provide a flexible, accountable and predictable revenue source for Alberta’s municipalities. Over the 10-year commitment by the province, municipalities will receive $11.3 billion in funding.
“This investment reflects this government’s commitment to address municipal revenue sources and affordable housing concerns here in Edmonton,” said Ray Danyluk, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We are putting these funds into the hands of the local decision-makers who best know how to ease growth demands in their own communities.”
“There is no question that Edmonton needs and appreciates support from the province for our infrastructure and attainable housing. This brings needed dollars to some of the most significant issues in our growing city, and the full participation of all orders of government is needed to make meaningful progress,” said Mayor Stephen Mandel. “I am pleased with this support from the Province, which will begin to put real dollars behind our infrastructure and Cornerstones programs, and look forward to growing this partnership as we get moving on our new regional program.”
The city's infrastructure projects include renewing roadways, light rail transit (LRT), expanding recreational facilities, and ensuring the city’s environmental and economic sustainability. The housing dollars will also be used to purchase land for housing, develop new affordable housing units, purchase and renovate affordable housing units, increase transitional housing and rent supplement programs as well as increase the development of secondary suites.
This year, the province has allocated $400 million for municipalities through MSI, and $285 million in new funding for 2007-08 to address immediate housing pressures across the province as identified in the recommendations from the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force report. These initiatives are part of the Alberta government’s five-year strategy to create more than 11,000 affordable housing units and support the province’s long-term capital plan.
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