$17.9 million to be spent on N.B. infrastructure projects, fire departments, eligible municipalities

The New Brunswick and federal governments are spending a combined $17.92 million for infrastructure projects, fire departments and municipalities with increased populations due to local governance reform that took effect Jan. 1.

The breakdown of the funding will the distributed as follows:

• $5.93M for infrastructure projects around the province
• $6.75M for eligible local governments
• $5.24M for fire department improvements and construction

“Communities across New Brunswick are welcoming new residents, and our government is investing to ensure that their infrastructure keeps up with the pace of growth,” said federal Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

“Better services, modernized infrastructure, more dynamic local economies – that is what we are delivering by working with our provincial and municipal partners.”

A news release from the province says approved projects range in size and cost.

Some of those projects include:

• The Adé Thériault Arena in Baie-Sainte-Anne, N.B., will receive more than $347,000 for roof improvements and insulation.
• The Greenwich Recreation Association is getting more than $264,000 for upgrades to its River Road Hub.
• The New Brunswick Railway Museum in Hillsborough, N.B., will receive $200,000 to improve two buildings and to build a train hangar.

A full list of funded projects can be found online.

Municipalities that have added residents from neighbouring local service districts will share funding for new projects under the fund's unincorporated areas category.

The province says 61 of the 77 entities will be eligible.

“We are asking local governments that have seen their populations grow to submit requests for project funding for their respective allocation,” said Allain.

The money for fire departments will be used to build new halls or modernize existing ones.

Of the Canada Community-Building Fund, 80 per cent of its funding is allocated to local governments, while 20 per cent is available for projects benefiting the residents of local service districts.

Projects must be completed by March 31, 2024.

A new agreement takes effect on April 1, 2024.

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