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Canwest News Service
International Trade Minister Stockwell Day played Santa Claus Tuesday, giving the City of Vancouver an early Christmas gift of $30 million for 26 projects as part of the federal government's Economic Action Plan.
Vancouver has another $56 million earmarked for the projects, which need to be completed by March of 2011 under the requirements of the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.
"Everybody has worked together to make this happen," said Day of the cooperation between Ottawa and Vancouver on so-called "shovel-ready" projects that are ready to go in the relatively short time frame of the program.
When asked if there would be further gifts for other communities in the Lower Mainland or the rest of B.C., "Santa" Day said: "Stay tuned. There are still some announcements that will continue to be done."
The federal stocking-stuffers don't translate into immediate relief for cash-strapped Vancouver on two dilemmas that have made the city and the parks board look like Grinches — the proposed closure of the Bloedel Conservatory and Stanley Park's family farmyard, which may be boarded up by a $401,000 operational shortfall.
Parks board chairman Aaron Jasper said the federal funding gives the city some "wriggle room" on funding the two facilities.
The fate of the conservatory still hangs on an investigation of the 1968 letter of agreement between the city and the Bloedel Foundation, which originally funded the conservatory.
The nature of infrastructure spending is such that the two biggest federal contributions Tuesday weren't that glamorous: identical grants of $3,333,3000 for the Upper Trout Lake east and west sewer separations, projects that cost $10 million each.
But there were plenty of other projects with a little more appeal, like $2 million for Brockton Point Lighthouse rehabilitation on the Stanley Park Seawall and another $1 million for improvements to the sea wall from English Bay to Sunset Beach.
There's also $300,000 for the $600,000 upgrade of the Malkin Bowl Performance Centre and $250,000 for the $500,000 upgrade of the Stanley Park pavilion and field house.
Another $1 million is slated for the $3-million renovation of the Orpheum Theatre and $1.686 million for the $5-million improvements to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza.
The full list of projects in Vancouver and elsewhere in B.C. is available at www.buildingcanada.gc.ca.
fluba@theprovince.com
