Investing in British Columbia's Future: Prime Minister visits Pitt River Bridge and Richmond Olympic Oval

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Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Greetings Premier Campbell; Ministers Day and Moore; Members of Parliament, Randy Kamp, Nina Grewal, and Ed Fast; and hello as well as Senator Yonah Martin.

Greetings also to our Provincial colleagues: Minister of State Randy Hawes, and Members of the Legislative Assembly, Douglas Horne and Marc Dalton.

Welcome also to our local mayors: from Maple Ridges - Mayor Ernie Daykin; from Pitt Meadows – Mayor Don Maclean; from Port Coquitlam – Mayor Greg Moore; and from Coquitlam – Mayor Richard Stewart.

To Chief Leon from the Katzie First Nation and to Chief Giesbrecht from the Kwikwetlem First Nation, welcome, and thank you for being here.

It is a great pleasure to be with you today in Pitt Meadows, not the least because this is a truly beautiful part of this great province, but also because it gives me the opportunity to highlight the success of a joint infrastructure project completed by the Governments of Canada and British Columbia.

The Pitt River bridges were originally built in 1956 and 1978.Over the years, they have been integral to the economic growth of Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. But their swing mechanisms are based on older technology and can sometimes prove unreliable, causing delays and headaches for commuters and commercial traffic. What’s more, the volume of traffic over the bridges has nearly tripled in the last thirty years as more and more products destined for markets across Canada, and around the world, pass through.

That’s why in 2007, our Governments began construction on a new seven lane bridge, tall enough for marine traffic to pass under and an interchange to speed access and improve traffic flow.  And as you can see today, just two years later, abstract drafts and designs have become concrete pillars and pavement.

This project is just one of thousands across Canada in which our Government is investing to put Canadians to work today building the infrastructure we need for greater prosperity tomorrow.

Earlier this afternoon, the Premier and I visited another of these projects, the new Olympic Oval in Richmond.  Completed on schedule, on budget and a full 14 months before the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Oval will serve as a training ground for Canada’s best athletes in the months to come.  It will then provide a world-class Olympic venue during the Games and ultimately, it will be transformed into a multi-sport and wellness complex for the Greater Vancouver area.

I’d like to thank Premier Campbell for his vision in pooling our resources on these projects and many others across the province. Together, we are creating jobs today when they are needed most, and, at the same time, preparing Canada for a brighter tomorrow.

Ladies and gentlemen, even during this period of worldwide economic recession, we as Canadians are looking ahead and finding opportunity in crisis.  We are using Canada's strong fiscal position to aggressively fund initiatives like this in communities from coast to coast to coast.  And we are already beginning to see the positive impact of these investments on Canada’s economy.

By looking forward today and investing in critical infrastructure projects like the Richmond Olympic Oval and the Pitt River Bridge, we are seizing the opportunities that will get us through these tough times and ensure Canada emerges stronger than ever.

Thank you.

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