$30 MILLION FOR COMMUNITIES OF TOMORROW PARTNERSHIP AND NRC CENTRE

Released on May 22, 2003

Regina is set to become a national centre of excellence for work on sustainable communities with a five-year $30 million investment in the new Communities of Tomorrow partnership.

Public Works and Government Services Minister Ralph Goodale, on behalf of Industry Minister Allan Rock, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert, Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco, National Research Council of Canada (NRC) President Arthur Carty and University of Regina President David Barnard today announced the investment in both the partnership and a key component, the new National Research Council Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research.

The Communities of Tomorrow partnership will develop, demonstrate and commercialize technologies and management practices for sustainable communities. It will bring together the facilities, capabilities, and capacities of the National Research Council of Canada, the University of Regina, and the City of Regina, in a unique "community environmental laboratory" to test and assess the applicability of existing, new, and emerging technologies and applications to sustainable community development.

The new NRC Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research is key to the partnership. The February 2003 Federal Budget provided $10 million over five years for NRC to establish the Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research. The research program will serve as a catalyst for the growth of a technology cluster in the region, focusing on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and environment that builds on local industry and R&D capacity. The new centre will be closely linked to regional and national research facilities and will be supported by NRC's Institute for Research in Construction.

The Government of Saskatchewan and Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) are each targeting $5 million over the next five years to various projects and initiatives advanced by the partnership. The City of Regina and the University will also each contribute $5 million over five years.

"The Government of Canada actively supports technology and research initiatives that help us become world leaders in technology," Goodale said. "NRC's new technology centre and the Communities of Tomorrow partnership will help lay a solid foundation for community growth and create a more competitive and productive workforce, leading to a better quality of life for all Canadians."

"The Communities of Tomorrow partnership will build on established research excellence in Regina and perform groundbreaking work that will help communities across the country in their sustainability efforts," Premier Lorne Calvert said. "By attracting knowledge-based jobs and conducting leading-edge research, the partnership will be a key part of Saskatchewan's wide-open future."

"The establishment of this research centre in Regina will position our city as a recognized world leader in the area of sustainable municipal development," Mayor Fiacco said. "Becoming a living laboratory, testing new theories and models of sustainability, will not only assist Regina in planning for the future, but will also help our City reduce costs and improve efficiency as well as benefit our economy as spin-off firms are established and new industries are drawn to Regina."

"The creation of the NRC's Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research in Regina is consistent with NRC's strategy for building technology clusters," Minister Rock said. "It connects NRC's core research strengths, knowledge and partnership networks with the commercial development and product-oriented activities of industry to produce a winning innovation formula."

The initial focus of the NRC will be on municipal water management best practices and innovation and will be co-ordinated with the City of Regina and researchers at the University of Regina. Other activities related to municipal sustainability prioritized by the City of Regina will be explored and fostered, in areas such as affordable housing, energy conservation and waste management.

"The University of Regina is both pleased and excited to be a part of the Communities for Tomorrow partnership," University of Regina President David Barnard said. "One of our University's essential roles is to conduct research and provide programs benefiting the communities of Regina and Saskatchewan. The Communities of Tomorrow partnership – together with our own newly established Centre for Sustainable Communities – will go a long way toward mobilizing the resources and knowledge to help our communities flourish."

The initiative will help the city of Regina achieve cost-effective, community-based actions to meet its existing and future infrastructure challenges in sustainable ways, and to become a national centre for environmental infrastructure management research and innovation. Other communities, in Canada and elsewhere, are expected to benefit by adopting systems modeled on and proven in Regina.

The initiative will also provide competitive advantages to Saskatchewan businesses, especially those in Regina, in the areas of information technology applications and integration, environmental infrastructure, Internet and environmental management technologies.

For more information on the Communities of Tomorrow partnership, please visit www.communitiesoftomorrow.ca.

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For More Information, Contact:

Shannon Cassidy National Research Council of Canada Ottawa Phone: (613)948-7352 Cell: (613)725-7342	Selena Beattie Office of Allan Rock Ottawa Phone: (613)995-9001
Bob Ellis Industry and Resources Regina Phone: (306)787-8277	Rob Greenwood Communities of Tomorrow Partnership Regina Phone: (306)787-4887