Good morning ladies and gentleman, Minister Cannon, Minister MacKay, Minister Scott, Minister MacIsaac.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very, very happy to be here in Antigonish, on this, a good news day in the life of the province’s infrastructure.

Today’s announcement is a major step forward in improving our province’s future–its roads, green energy, public transit, its water and wastewater systems.

This agreement gives us long-term, predictable funding from the Government of Canada to invest in infrastructure across the province. Something we have been asking for, for a very long time.

Nova Scotia’s infrastructure already features groundbreaking telecommunications systems, international transportation links, reliable energy, water and waste-management services.

Make no mistake, a province needs good infrastructure to ensure its economic growth.

But like other provinces and territories in Canada, Nova Scotia also has an infrastructure deficit. Some of our buildings and equipment are aging, and will need to be replaced to create long-term, stable environments in which to work, learn and heal.

Our existing highways need to be updated and new ones built to ensure they are safe, and that they can move goods and bring economic growth.

To that end, my government made a commitment to two thousand kilometres of new pavement over four years. I am pleased to say we are half way to reaching that goal, much to the delight of the traveling public and Nova Scotia’s road builders.

Since 1999, we’ve tripled the amount of money spent on new pavement. We contributed sixty-five-million dollars to municipal infrastructure projects. We built more than 20 new schools, and began a one hundred and twenty-three-million dollar plan to revamp the province’s community colleges. But we need to do more.

To bring our highways up to the standards Nova Scotians say is acceptable, to pave the way to economic prosperity, we need to invest billions more during the next decade on our roads and other public infrastructure.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Infrastructure Framework Agreement that we are signing today brings more than six-hundred and thirty-four-million dollars to meeting those needs. This is a huge investment in our province, our people and our future.

And to ensure that the funding announced today is spent in a manner which produces maximum possible benefit, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal will shortly begin to develop a comprehensive strategic infrastructure plan for the province.

This plan will enable us to better understand the nature and extent of the province’s infrastructure deficit and it will identify priority areas for investment in infrastructure in coming years.

The province will also be able to apply for federal funding under a two-point-one-billion dollar Gateways and Border Crossings Fund, and the one-point-two billion dollar Public-Private-Partnering Fund.

I thank all the ministers here today for their hard work in making this framework agreement on Nova Scotia’s infrastructure a reality.

I thank the staff of their respective departments for building the framework that will bring substantial investments to our province.

We are taking a giant step forward in building stronger, more vibrant communities in Nova Scotia.

Thank you.