As COVID-19 continues to have an unprecedented impact, the Government of Canada is taking strong action to help all Canadians, including rural Canadians, no matter where they live.
Strong and modern infrastructure is essential for Canada's competitiveness and the long-term prosperity of Canadians, whether they live in large cities or small communities.
The Investing in Canada Plan
The Government of Canada is providing significant investments in infrastructure through the Investing in Canada Plan's Rural and Northern Communities' Infrastructure stream and initiatives such as the National Trade Corridors Fund.
These investments are, on average, creating 100,000 jobs each year for Canadians, attracting talent and investment, supporting innovation, addressing climate change and its impacts, and increasing opportunities for all Canadians while strengthening communities across the country.
The Investing in Canada plan is investing over $180 billion in funding across the country, in five priority areas:
- rural and northern community infrastructure
- public transit infrastructure
- green infrastructure
- social infrastructure
- trade and transportation infrastructure
In recognition of rural financial constraints, the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure stream provides very favourable cost-share provisions for small communities. Where the province provides 33% and the federal government provides 50%, municipalities will only have to provide 17% of eligible costs. If the municipality has fewer than 5000 residents, the federal share can go up to 60% and the municipality would only have to cover 7% of eligible costs.
As with all streams, Indigenous recipients can access additional funding from any applicable federal source to a maximum federal contribution of 100% from all sources.
Visit Investing in Canada Plan web page for more information on the program and its progress.
Municipal Asset Management Program
Delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP)is an eight year, $110 million program that will help Canadian municipalities including rural communities make informed infrastructure investment decisions based on sound asset management practices. The MAMP was launched in February 2017 and is scheduled to end in 2024-2025.
Visit the Municipal Asset Management Program web page for more information on the program and its progress.
Rural Transit Solutions Fund
Delivered by Infrastructure Canada, this $250 million fund supports locally driven transit solutions for rural and remote communities. It offers flexibility for different local transit system innovations, from fixed route to on-demand services to ride-shares.
Visit the Rural Transit Solutions Fund web page for more information.