Orazietti responds to transport minister on Huron Central

NEWS RELEASE

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

************************* Province remains committed to improving Huron Central Railway line

McGuinty government working to reach agreement to support capital upgrades to short-line railway

QUEEN'S PARK - Today, David Orazietti, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie reiterated the provincial government’s continued commitment to invest in capital funding for the Huron Central Railway line.

“Our government has consistently expressed its support for investing in the Huron Central Railway line and we have not altered from this position,” said Orazietti. “Ontario’s commitment to keeping the short-line railway open was expressed through an initial $1.5 million allocation of funding in September 2009 and we remain committed to finding a long-term solution to the infrastructure challenges the short-line railway is facing.”

It is important to note that the Huron Central Railway (HCR) line requires $33 million in total funding for upgrades.

To ensure all possible funding opportunities were pursued the Railway Committee Working Group made an application to the Infrastructure Stimulus Program (ISF) for $12 million and to the Community Component of the Build Canada Fund for $33 million.

In the event a portion of the funding was provided through the ISF, the balance could be provided through the Build Canada Fund. Given the close of the ISF the opportunity continues to remain that HCR could receive the necessary funding through the Build Canada Fund. Additionally, the province is encouraged by the federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities recent comments with regard to possible support through the Provincial-Territorial Base Fund.

As a result the provincial Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is determining the most effective way to allocate the province’s share of funding to help maintain operations at Huron Central Railway, including through the Provincial-Territorial Base Fund. The provincial government is aware of the timeline challenges Huron Central Railway has expressed with regard to ordering equipment and materials to upgrade the line’s infrastructure.

“I am pleased Minister Baird has indicated his government’s willingness to support funding for infrastructure that is very important to Northeastern Ontario and I look forward to an agreement being reached in the near future,” said Orazietti.

This project is one of approximately four thousand in Ontario that collectively require approximately $32 billion in funding over the next two years. The province is working to ensure that funding for every project is reviewed carefully and in a manner that is prudent and accountable to taxpayers.

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