I rise in this Honourable House today to inform people of the tremendous progress made by our government as part of the Provincial Infrastructure Strategy.

In February, I was pleased to join Premier Williams to announce $800 million in strategic infrastructure investments for this fiscal year alone. I�m delighted to announce today that contracts valued at $600 million have already been awarded and we expect to tender the balance of the projects in the coming months. Our expenditure this year coupled with the contracts we will continue in the coming years will see the total value of infrastructure projects tendered this fiscal year at $1.6 billion.

We have never witnessed this magnitude of infrastructure spending in our province�s history. In the education sector we have made significant progress. I�m happy to say we have awarded tenders for the construction of nine new schools, and have awarded the tender for construction of a new college campus in Labrador City.

In the transportation sector I believe our considerable progress speaks for itself and anyone who has taken a drive around our province this summer would have to agree. Virtually all tenders for roads projects have been awarded and we are actually getting a jump on next season by calling tenders early. However, the highlight of our road work this year has to be the start of hard-surfacing on Phase I of the Trans Labrador Highway. Our second biggest achievement will come later this year when we complete Phase III of the TLH. We promised a road link right across Newfoundland and Labrador and this year we will deliver it.

We have also made major strides in the healthcare sector. The long-term care facility in Clarenville is complete and fully operational and we expect to call tenders for two new long-term care facilities in St. John�s and a new hospital in Labrador City before year�s end. In Corner Brook, the long-term care facility is nearing completion and we are continuing our aggressive planning for a new acute care facility. We expect to make an announcement on the site for this new facility in the coming weeks.

Another major project nearing completion is the new courthouse in Corner Brook, and work is underway to expand the RNC complex in St. John�s.

Throughout the province we are investing in various municipal infrastructure projects to strengthen services for residents, including water and sewer projects and waste water management initiatives.

The projects I have outlined today are of course just the tip of the iceberg. Our government is proving time and time again that we are committed to stimulating our economy, creating employment and rebuilding the critical infrastructure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador depend on.