Vaughan, March 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) welcomes the introduction of Bill C-25 today and the federal government’s commitment to supporting municipal infrastructure priorities in the face of COVID-19. RCCAO urges all parliamentarians in both the House of Commons and the Senate to come together and pass this legislation as soon as possible.
The Federal Government’s proposed, one-time investment of $2.2 billion through added gas tax funding for municipalities in 2020-21 is welcome relief for cities and a construction industry impacted by COVID-19. RCCAO applauds the federal government for providing much-needed funding for municipalities to help reduce the risk of infrastructure projects being delayed or cancelled.
“We commend the federal government for the co-operative approach it has taken with provinces and municipalities since the beginning of the pandemic and the leadership it is taking on providing much-needed funding to municipalities in 2021,” says RCCAO executive director Nadia Todorova. “It is critical that the proposed funding be swiftly approved by the Parliament of Canada to prevent municipalities across Ontario from being forced to use money from their capital budgets to pay for higher operating expenses caused by the pandemic.”
RCCAO is pleased to see that the federal government remains committed to assisting municipalities in their efforts to address the continued challenges of the pandemic. It is imperative that the Government of Canada continues to work closely with the Province of Ontario to ensure that municipalities can invest in capital projects and jobs, which is vital to a strong and healthy economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19.
RCCAO looks forward to further, much-needed funding commitments from the federal government in the upcoming budget.
Background on RCCAO: The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) is a labour-management construction alliance. For 15 years, RCCAO has been a leading industry advocate for infrastructure investment. It has commissioned 57 independent, solutions-based research reports to help inform decision makers.