Deadline passes for province to approve Winnipeg request for federal funds to fix roads

The city of Winnipeg is holding out hope that it will receive extra money from Ottawa to fix more roads.

Last July, city council unanimously approved the idea to ask for $182 million in federal funding for road renewal projects.

It was part of the New Building Canada Fund, which had a deadline of March 31 to allocate money, and the city’s request couldn’t be passed on to Ottawa unless the Manitoba government signed off on it.

Mayor Brian Bowman called on the province numerous times to approve the ask, calling it a ‘no-brainer,’ and released a list of prospective projects that could go forward if the money was approved.

On Tuesday, Bowman said that his request has been forwarded to Ottawa.

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“My understanding is the province did communicate with the federal government before the deadline. Now the federal government is doing its due diligence, and in due course will communicate with the province and with us. Then we’ll be able to know what dollar amount we’ll be looking at.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My understanding is the province did communicate with the federal government before the deadline. Now the federal government is doing its due diligence, and in due course will communicate with the province and with us. Then we'll be able to know what dollar amount we'll be looking at."

Bowman revealed that the initial ask of $182 million won’t be granted, that the number will be closer to $170 million.

“Whether or not it will be that amount, any money above and beyond what we’ve got right now would be a significant win for drivers and those that rely on our roads. I would have liked this to have been dealt with sooner than later but I think this is a very positive sign. We’re optimistic.”

Premier Brian Pallister said the number is closer to $120 million, and while he confirmed the province had spoken with Ottawa on how it wouldn’t be spent, he wouldn’t get into specifics.

“The bulk of it is for the City of Winnipeg, but we have some other public safety projects we have to prioritize that are important,” Premier Pallister said. “But stay tuned.”

In remarks earlier in the day Pallister said any funding had to be carefully spent.

“There is really only one taxpayer. We all have one pocket, and out of it comes the money that goes to municipal, provincial, federal governments, school boards, and so on,” Pallister said.”We’re all concerned, and this government in particular is very concerned about making sure we invest appropriately.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There is really only one taxpayer. We all have one pocket, and out of it comes the money that goes to municipal, provincial, federal governments, school boards, and so on," Pallister said."We're all concerned, and this government in particular is very concerned about making sure we invest appropriately."

“We’ve worked very hard to catch up in many areas like health infrastructure, road construction, our schools, where we lag behind the country in terms of capital invested in repairs. These expenses are important and have to be directed in the right way,” Pallister said. “You can’t just continue to borrow money as was done in the past and expect you’re going to get better results from it. We’re committed to working with the federal government on infrastructure projects in a partnership that works.”

Without the added federal money, the city will simply stick to fixing the roads already included in its 2018 budget.