Lunn Announces Dollars for Beetle Projects

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 01:45 PM

Federal Mininster of Natural Resources, Gary Lunn, has announced more funding for communities hit by the mountain pine beetle. While he announced an $80 million dollar committment, the initial dollars heading to this part of the province will come in the form of $50 thousand dollars for the Northern Development Initiatives Trust Northwest Corridor study ( see new story) and a further $250 thousand will go to the Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops to equip a mobile Training Unit.

The funding comes from a new initiative called the "Community Economic Diversification Initiative", and it will provide a total of $36.6 million for projects that provide opportunites for economic growth, sustainability and job creation in communities hit , or threatened by the beetle infestation.

Lunn also announced $44 million in Pine Beetle Program funds will be invested in Transport Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative for transportation infrastructure in beetle-affected areas. This is the fund the City of Prince George hopes to tap into to pay for a dangerous goods route, the Cameron Street Bridge and upgrades to River Road and the connections to the Yellowhead Bridge. Those improvements would total about $25 million.

The first chunk of that Asia-Pacific Gateway infrastucture funding will be a $12 million dollar investment into railway grade separations to eliminate four level crossings in Smithers, Terrace, and Ashcroft. The rail projects are a cost sharing effort with CN and CP.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 01:45 PM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: Gofaster on July 18 2007 3:21 PM

More hollow promises???
I will start to believe the government when they start bringing the check along with their mouth...

Posted by: Palopu on July 18 2007 8:09 PM

At the end of the day most people in the Central Interior will get **diddly squat** from this so called Asia Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative.

The first people to get some of this money will be CN Rail because the Government is sharing the cost with them for grade separations. Once these are completed there will be no more jobs. What benefit will the local populace get from upgrading River Road, building a new (not necessary) bridge across the Nechako River, Connections to the Yellowhead bridge, and a dubious at best dangerous goods route. Very little I would say and once the construction is done that will be that. The huge beneficiery will be CN Rail. The Container trains from Prince Rupert will whistle through Prince George in the dead of night and will have no effect whatsoever on Prince George.

The CN Rail Intermodal facility and cross dock operation once up and running will be in direct competition to the local warehouses presently in Prince George, and will also eliminate a number of local jobs because of the change in the way that local products are handled. Anyone who thinks that this terminal will create a net gain of jobs is living in a dream world.

So at the end of the day we get a few constructions jobs, but I havent yet seen anything to indicate that there will be any long term jobs created.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on July 18 2007 8:54 PM

I agree Palopu.
There is a lot more to this whole deal than meets the eye and most of it is political spin.
The government knows who to lay the cash on and where it will get them the most points.
I don't think for one second it will do much for PG but time will tell.

Posted by: Runner46 on July 18 2007 10:31 PM

$12 million dollar investment into railway grade separations to eliminate four level crossings in Smithers, Terrace, and Ashcroft.

if you travel west you can appreciate what this will do to the safety of our communities. small steps but baby steps.

Posted by: Chadermando on July 19 2007 1:20 AM

If the corporations who pay for the political machines need money you can be sure the money will be available.

We have no vision, we're led by the blind. CN says the inland port goes on first avenue and our governments can't trip over themselves fast enough to accomodate.

Facts are that CN should have located that port out at Shelly and the dangerous goods route for the next fifty years should have been built to accomodate a clean air for PG industrial zoning Northeast of PG with a dangerous goods route linking to Salmon Valley north of town and Blackwater West of town.

The only consistancy is that we will find out the future planning for this city after the fact when the debate is all over as to where major infrastructure will be located, thus implying the future zoning and development of this city. The job has been outsourced to the likes of CN Rail and McWalter Engineers. Why even have elections?