Approximately $8.5 million offered to Grand Falls-Windsor 
for Multi-Year Capital Works Agreement

Anna Thistle, MHA - Grand Falls-Buchans, on behalf of Oliver Langdon, Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, announced today an offer of approximately $8.5 million to the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor for a Multi-Year Municipal Capital Works Agreement.

"The Town of Grand Falls-Windsor has identified a number of capital works priorities," said Thistle. "This announcement today is great news, as it will provide the town with the flexibility to carry out much needed work on new and existing infrastructure."

Discussions with municipalities and the finalization of priority lists will be completed within weeks. Details of individual projects to be completed under this specific agreement will be announced during the official signing between the municipality and the province.

The provincial government has committed more than $100 million over three years for the Multi-Year Municipal Capital Works Program, which will be cost-shared on a 50/50 basis with larger municipalities.

This Multi-Year Municipal Capital Works Program is the first of three infrastructure and capital works programs that have been committed to for the next three years, for a total of $261 million. Projects for this year�s Municipal Capital Works Program, which is cost-shared between the provincial and municipal governments, are expected to be announced in a few weeks. Projects approved under the Canada-Newfoundland Infrastructure Program, which is cost-shared between the provincial, federal and municipal governments, will be announced in accordance with the federal-provincial agreement.

Media contact: Kathy Dicks-Peyton, Labour, Communications, (709) 729-1741.

2002 05 09                          12:25 p.m.