Minister announces Provincial Job Creation Initiative

Municipal and Provincial Affairs Minister Jack Byrne today announced a $3 million provincial employment initiative to stimulate local economies, particularly where significant numbers of people are under-employed, and to support community projects for infrastructure development or maintenance.

This initiative will target areas experiencing the greatest hardship. The funding will be allocated on a priority basis to those communities in greatest need. Minister Byrne noted: "Despite a general improvement in the economy, certain areas of our province continue to be challenged. It is our job as a government to help those areas address those challenges and find a path forward."

The initiative is also intended as an investment in rural communities, by funding neighbourhood- scale infrastructure projects, particularly those related to recreation, municipal development, forestry, fisheries and agriculture. "Brush-cutting is one of our priorities," said Minister Byrne. "While not limiting the initiative to one particular type of project, we want to improve right-of-way visibility and highway safety. If we can do that at the same time as providing people with much-needed work and insurable earnings, that�s a good investment."

The job creation initiative will be administered by the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs. Applications for funding under this initiative may be obtained by calling the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs at (709) 729-5400 or by contacting area MHAs at their constituency offices.

Media contact: Deirdre Robinson Greene, Communications (709) 729-0084

2003 11 26                                     1:50 p.m.