In Ontario, Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled the $14-billion program that will offer provinces, cities and smaller communities access to federal funds over 10 years, starting this spring.

It is part of the larger $53-billion New Building Canada Plan, which also includes a Gas Tax Fund and a funding model for public-private partnerships.

“Provinces, territories and municipalities will now have unprecedented access to predictable, sustainable federal infrastructure funds for a decade,” Harper said in Gormley, a community north of Toronto.

“This will allow those whose job it is to make infrastructure decisions to plan those decisions with assurance over the long term.”

The new fund sets aside $4 billion for projects of “national significance” which are a federal priority. The remaining $10 billion has been dedicated on a per-capita basis to infrastructure and community projects in the provinces and territories — with $1 billion of that earmarked for communities with populations under 100,000.

Provincial highways, major roads and public transit were highlighted as priorities, with Ottawa promising to contribute up to half of total project costs. For most other projects, the federal government will pitch in one-third of total costs.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Muted+enthusiasm+revamped+Building+Canada+Plan/9506107/story.html