Building Canada Fund

In 2008, through its $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada committed to working with its partners to provide long-term, stable and predictable funding to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada.

The Building Canada Fund in Ontario is a result of the Building Canada Infrastructure Framework Agreement signed between the governments of Canada and Ontario on July 24, 2008. This agreement represents more than $6 billion in joint federal and provincial funding that will help address infrastructure needs and priorities across the province. The priority funding categories for the fund are Core National Highway System (NHS) Routes, Drinking Water, Wastewater, Public Transit and Green Energy. Other eligible investment priority areas include environmental projects (Solid Waste Management), projects that support economic growth and development (Short-line Rail and Short-sea Shipping, Connectivity and Broadband, Tourism and Regional and Local Airports), as well as projects that contribute to the ongoing development of safe and strong communities (Disaster Mitigation, Culture, Sport, Local Roads and Bridges, and Brownfield Redevelopment). Funding is used to support public infrastructure owned by provincial, territorial and municipal governments and entities, as well as private industry, in certain cases.

The Building Canada Fund (BCF) has two components: the Communities Component and the Major Infrastructure Component.

Communities Component (BCF-CC)

The Communities Component (BCF-CC) is focused on projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000. FedDev Ontario is responsible for delivering the BCF-CC in Ontario in partnership with the Government of Ontario. Projects in Ontario were selected through an application-based process and were evaluated based on the criteria outlined in the two different intakes.

For more information on the Building Canada Fund in Ontario, visit the BCF Ontario website at www.bcfontario.ca.

Major Infrastructure Component (BCF-MIC)

The Major Infrastructure Component (BCF-MIC) targets larger, strategic projects of national and regional significance. Under MIC, two-thirds of funding, on a national basis, will be directed to the above-mentioned National Priorities. Projects will be selected on the basis of merit through a federal-provincial/territorial negotiation process and all projects will be required to meet criteria targeting environmental, economic and quality of life objectives—regardless of the category. Innovative technologies and partnerships will also be emphasized. FedDev Ontario is responsible for delivering the following MIC projects in Ontario:

Projects currently underway:

Expansion of the Ottawa Convention Centre (Announced commitment of up to $50 million)

The expansion of the Ottawa Convention Centre will help promote Ottawa as a world-class convention destination while increasing tourism, business and job opportunities in the region. The new 200,000-square-foot convention and trade show facility will be environmentally-friendly and sustainable for achieving Leadership in Environment and Engineering Design (LEED) Silver certification.  

HELP Clean Water (announcement commitment of up to $50 million)

HELP Clean Water (Huron Elgin London Project) is a regional water infrastructure project developed by the Joint Boards of Management for the Lake Huron and Elgin Area Water System and the City of London to increase residents' access to treated drinking water in the region. The capital project consists of nine components spanning 14 municipalities.  The new and improved clean water facilities and distribution systems will operate in an environmentally friendly way, relying in part on green powered energy.

Announced projects:

Construction of the Niagara Centre for the Arts (Announced commitment of up to $58.5 million)

The City of St. Catharines will build in its downtown core a new Centre for the Arts capable of hosting big-ticket theatre and concerts with a capacity of 800-900 patrons, and a new Recital Hall which will be a 300-seat venue that will primarily be used for community and public musical performances.

Construction of Burlington Centre for the Performing Arts (Announced commitment of up to $1.5 million)

The Burlington Centre for the Performing Arts will be a multi-purpose facility that includes a main theatreto accommodate theatrical and musical productions, a studio theatre to be used for community presentations, and a lobby that would serve as a venue for receptions, exhibitions, corporate functions and civic events.

Construction of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts Centre at Queen’s University (Announced commitment of up to $15 million)

The new Centre will be unique to the region and will help meet the cultural needs of Queen’s University, the City of Kingston and Southeastern Ontario. The Centre will provide an acoustically superior, medium sized concert hall, as well as a studio theatre, an art gallery and a film screening room for local and visiting arts enthusiasts to enjoy for years to come.

City of Ottawa Sewage Collection System (Announced commitment of up to $9.365 million)

The combined sewage collection system infrastructure project in Ottawa will reduce the frequency of sewer overflow into the Ottawa River. The project entails physical installations to reduce sewer overflows and improved monitoring of sewer discharge.

Construction of Clarence-Rockland Sporting Event and Training Centre (announced commitment of up to $6.85 million)

The Centre will help meet the sports and recreational needs of the City of Clarence-Rockland and Eastern Ontario by providing two NHL-size ice surfaces, two soccer fields, a baseball diamond and a running track, as well as enhance the level of recreational tourism in the region. The multi-use facility will allow for the creation of an advanced hockey program for secondary-school level hockey players. Clarence—Rockland will commit to reserve a proportion of operational hours of the facility for public and community use.

For more information on the Building Canada Fund across the county, visit the Infrastructure Canada website at www.buildingcanada-chantierscanada.gc.ca

For more information on BCF in Ontario, please contact us.