Whissell reveals the silver lining to rising gas taxes

Pulling up to the pumps and watching the numbers spin as you pour fuel into your vehicle has started to feel like watching money burn.

Rising prices and increasing gas taxes mean that you pay more for less, but one such tax paid by customers is being used to finance infrastructure initiatives in your region.

The gas tax fund, financed by the federal excise gas tax paid at the pumps, is distributed to municipalities for municipal projects that aim to improve water and air quality and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

MNA David Whissell announced Tuesday, December 14 that the nine municipalities of Argenteuil will receive $9 million from the transfer of a portion of revenue from the federal excise gas tax and the contribution of the Quebec government.

"These important contributions will not only improve the infrastructure throughout the region but, especially in Argenteuil, it will alleviate the indirect tax burden on citizens," said Whissell.

In much of Argenteuil, this money will help to prioritize the improvement of roads and to enable municipalities to actually repair road problems - as opposed to simply patching the worst sections.

"Wentworth is one of the smallest municipalities in Argenteuil and this money will go a long way to alleviate the fiscal burden," noted Wentworth Mayor Ed Kasprzyk. "We're not a big population, but a few years ago we invested about $1.2 million in necessary road projects. For a small municipality, we invest a lot in our roads."

Earlier this year, Wentworth invested about $500,000 into overhauling Glen Road and according to Kasprzyk, the work would have been next to impossible without the support of such grants. With the help of $433,980 in gas tax funding, Wentworth has also undertaken a three-year plan to invest in Moseley Road and de Paradis Road.

In Harrington, excavation crews will use $486,019 to work on White Road, and Mille-Isles will be working on Chemin Tamaracouta with part of its $615,263. Gore and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge will also be investing in their road networks, having received $635,510 and $856,153, respectively.

Saint-André-d'Argenteuil will be using $932,601 to carry out work on its drinking water reservoir, while Grenville will invest some of its $602,744 share into the reconstruction of municipal water, sewer and storm drains on Rue Principale, between the McIntyre Bridge and Rue Morrow.

"This welcome investment will enable us to carry out necessary work on the municipal infrastructure of each of the constituent municipalities of Argenteuil," said Ronald Tittlit, the warden of Agenteuil and mayor of Grenville.

Lachute will spend $2.86 million on the repair of Princess and Queen Streets and to complete work involving the installation of 10 new artesian wells. Brownsburg-Chatham, with its $1.64 million, is proposing to carry out infrastructure work on Chemin Montée Robert and Chemin Carrière near Concession 2.

In the Laurentians region, the municipalities of Morin Heights, Wentworth North, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard and Lac-des-Seize-Iles will receive $3 million from the same fund.

In Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, grant money will be used to upgrade sewer and water systems while the $1-million portion reserved for Morin Heights will be devoted to repairing the drinking water pipeline on Village Road.

"The government assistance available to these communities will enable them to plan their infrastructure spending by local needs and priorities," concluded Whissell. "It is an excellent opportunity for municipalities to rely on stable, reliable and predictable projects essential to the development of our communities and improving the quality of life of citizens. This provincial, federal and municipal collaboration will greatly benefit the thousands of citizens who live here."

The original gas tax fund was signed in 2005 as a ten-year, federal-provincial agreement, but it was later decided that as of 2014, it would become a permanent federal program with a $2-billion annual budget.

By the numbers, the distribution of amounts per municipality for 2010-2014 is as follows:

Brownsburg-Chatham, $1,636,421

Gore, $635,510

Grenville, $602,774

Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, $856,153

Harrington, $486,019

Lachute, $2,869,529

Mille-Isles, $615,263

Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, $932,601

Wentworth, $433,980

Lac-des-Seize-Îles, $367,759

Morin Heights, $1,014,349

Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, $1,038,192

Wentworth North, $597,854