Border Infrastructure Fund

Border infrastructure is critical to our growing economic and trade relationship with the United States. The $600 million Border Infrastructure Fund (BIF) supports the initiatives in the Smart Borders Action Plan by reducing border congestion and expanding infrastructure capacity over the medium term.

Eligibility Criteria

Most of the funding available through the Border Infrastructure Fund is invested in the busiest crossings - Windsor, Sarnia, Niagara Falls and Fort Erie, in Ontario; in Douglas, British Columbia; and in Lacolle, Quebec. Funding is also available to address capacity and congestion problems at other crossings.

Summary

The Smart Borders Action Plan is based on four pillars:

• the secure flow of people;
• the secure flow of goods;
• secure infrastructure; and
• information-sharing and co-ordination in the enforcement of these objectives.

The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program has revolutionized the way commercial shipments move across the Canada-U.S. border and will result in a streamlined clearance process and greater efficiency in the shipment of goods.

Similarly, the Canada-U.S. border-wide "fast-lane" program called NEXUS aims at speeding the flow of pre-screened low-risk travellers.

Benefits

• More efficient facilities capable of handling greater capacities at major border crossings, helping trucks travel across the busiest Canada-U.S. border points more quickly.
• Improved Canada-U.S. relations and better movement of goods, thereby contributing to increased trade and production.
• Improved border crossings, contributing to federal security and increased safety for Canadians.

Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact. 

National Contact(s):
Infrastructure Canada
90 Sparks Street, 6th floor
Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 5B4
Telephone: 613-948-1148
Toll-free (information): 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232)
TTY Toll-free (hearing impaired): 1-800-465-7735
E-mail: info@infrastructure.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/index_e.shtml