HALIFAX, N.S. - Speeding up payments and reducing regulatory barriers are two key elements to getting infrastructure projects off the ground, federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird was told by his Atlantic counterparts Tuesday.
Baird met one-on-one with ministers from each of the four Atlantic provinces in Halifax on Tuesday before heading into a two-hour closed-door session with all of the provincial delegations.
"We made a commitment today to respond in a big way to those two things - to cut red tape and to accelerate infrastructure spending so that we can provide a little hope and opportunity for a lot of families that are worried about their future and their finances," Baird told reporters following the meeting.
Although no specifics were provided on what projects would get money, how much or when, Baird promised that Ottawa's intent is to speed up the process and give the economy the "shot in the arm" it needs.
"I think there was pretty solid agreement that we can make those decisions expeditiously and the money will flow the minute the shovel is in the ground," said Baird.
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald said one of the "common-sense steps" is to take a look at regulatory regimes governing environmental assessments.
While the premier said he's not looking to relax requirements, he questioned whether processes need to take as long as some do.
"On one hand you may have a situation where raw sewage is going into a harbour, and on the other we all recognize that infrastructure is needed to prevent that from happening," MacDonald said.
"To wait for two or three years to get that project may be hurting the environment to a greater degree."
The premier pointed to the Navigable Waters Act as an example of outdated legislation that could potentially tie up efforts to replace the province's aging bridges.
Baird said the federal act is something that has been a sore point because it dates back to the 1870s.
"It's the same whether it's a small creek or whether you're building a bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick," the minister said.
Ottawa has promised $33 billion in infrastructure spending over seven years and Baird has promised that Atlantic Canada "will get more than its fair share."
New Brunswick Finance Minister Victor Boudreau said while his province is in agreement with the need to speed up funding, it's also looking for more money.
Earlier this month New Brunswick tabled a two-year $1.2-billion stimulus package with record capital spending for road and bridge projects.
"We've got more projects than we have funding available right now and I think that's the same for every jurisdiction," said Boudreau. "There were no firm commitments, but certainly a commitment to go back and discuss what's possible."
P.E.I. Labour Minister Carolyn Bertram echoed the need for new monies to expand current programs or create new ones.
"Every jurisdiction has their own wishes and desires in terms of infrastructure, but we want to drive the economy in P.E.I and whether that's through acceleration or through new monies we hope that can be possible," said Bertram.
The Island recently announced a stimulus package in the form of a five-year $510-million capital budget.
