Feds Earmark $3.3B for Provinces, Territories for COVID 19 Infrastructure

Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna speaks regarding support for Canadian communities as they adjust their public infrastructure priorities to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic during an event at the Tomlinson Family Foundation Clubhouse in Ottawa on Aug. 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA—The federal government is moving ahead with plans to help provinces and territories shore up their defences against COVID-19 by freeing up billions of dollars to make schools and hospitals more pandemic resistant and expand outdoor public spaces.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna unveiled details of the plan Wednesday, which followed weeks of talks between Ottawa and provincial and territorial governments—as well as years of criticism about the slow pace of the Liberals’ infrastructure spending.