Doubling of federal Gas Tax Fund will move local parks projects forward
KITCHENER – Mayor Berry Vrbanovic visited the Victoria Hills Community Centre and was joined by Raj Saini, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Centre and Marwan Tabbara, Member of Parliament for Kitchener South-Hespeler to announce investing the one-time increase to the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) into parks and recreation across the city.
“Municipal governments deliver many of the daily services our citizens rely on the most and are responsible for approximately 60 per cent of the nation’s infrastructure. Cities manage roads, water, transportation, parks, libraries, fire services and so much more with only about 10 cents of every tax dollar collected,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “The one-time doubling of the federal Gas Tax Fund is a direct injection of much needed funds that will help move important local parks and recreation projects forward so our community can be an even better place to live, work and play.”
The City of Kitchener receives approximately $7 million annually from the federal government’s GTF. Each year, the GTF supports the renewal of our core infrastructure by flowing predictable funds to cities and communities of all sizes. De-linked from gas taxes in 2011, this direct and reliable transfer empowers local leaders to identify local infrastructure priorities and plan long-term solutions. In Budget 2019, the federal government announced a one-time doubling of the GTF to cities.
“The doubling of the Gas Tax Fund reflects our government’s commitment to supporting municipalities as they deliver services that meet the needs of communities across the country,” said Raj Saini, Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre. “By investing in recreation facilities and parks around the City of Kitchener, our government is working collaboratively to positively impact the health and well-being of residents. The Gas Tax Fund will have a significant and lasting impact on our community and will make our great city even more livable.”
The City of Kitchener will be using this increased funding to move important local parks and recreation upgrades forward:
- Replacing the Vanier Park Splash Pad with new fixtures that are more fun for the kids
- Improvements to the soccer field and parking facilities at the popular Woodside Park
- New lighting, backstops and bleachers for many of our sports fields across the city
- Investing in roof replacements for The Aud and Victoria Hills Community Centre
- Replacing the HVAC system at the Breithaupt Centre
- And investing in upgrades in parks across the city
“My brothers and I often played in Vanier Park when we lived at 1100 Courtland Avenue,” said Marwan Tabbara, Member of Parliament for Kitchener South-Hespeler. “The replacement of the Vanier Park Splash Pad with new fixtures will be more fun for kids. It’s great news for local children, gets them outside and active. Our government’s increase in financial assistance to cities helps build communities and support families.”
“Our government's commitment to double this stable, predictable funding this year helps cities like Kitchener to maintain aging infrastructure and upgrade existing infrastructure in parks, community centres, and much more,” said the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Government House Leader and Member of Parliament for Waterloo in a statement about the announcement. “The federal government recognizes that cities have the local expertise to deal with local matters and we are a partner for municipalities. We are taking real, concrete steps to directly provide cities and towns with more funding, so they can invest it where people need it the most.”
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For more information:
Jennifer Hassum
Director of Communications
City of Kitchener
519.741.2200 x7046
Jennifer.Hassum@kitchener.ca
Paul Grivicic
Chief of Staff, Office of the Mayor and Council
City of Kitchener
519.741.2200 x7795
Paul.Grivicic@kitchener.ca
Appendix A - Breakdown of one-time federal Gas Tax Fund payment allocation ($6,980,232)
As outlined in Financial Services Department report FIN-19-039, the $6,900,000 transfer of the federal Gas Tax Fund be allocated as follows:
- $1,100,000 Woodside Park
- $1,000,000 Sportsfields Infrastructure
- $300,000 Vanier Park Splash Pad
- $650,000 Park Bridge Replacements
- $1,000,000 Roofing Replacement: The Aud
- $600,000 Roofing Replacement: Recreation and Culture Facilities
- $975,000 91 Moore Sustainable Building Improvements
- $650,000 HVAC Replacement: Breithaupt Centre
- $625,000 Parks Improvement Program
Appendix B - Highlights from allocation of regular 2019 federal Gas Tax transfer ($7,075,077)
- $3,600,000 Resurfacing City Streets
- $700,000 RBJ Schlegel park
- $600,000 Iron Horse Trail