Renovating old arenas and putting a dent in transit projects are among the items on the City of Ottawa's $380-million federal infrastructure wish list, which could create thousands of new jobs in the capital.
"It's smart. Both smart politics and smart from an economic perspective. We need to stimulate the job market," Mayor Larry O'Brien told CTV Ottawa.
Although the city is pushing for infrastructure funding for various projects, the southwest extension of the Transitway from Fallowfield Road tops the list.
Other priorities include funding for decaying arenas and cultural facilities, as well as spending millions of dollars to repair and upgrade social housing in the capital.
"So, if we can affect those changes and those repairs, then we'll be in better shape going forward. We'll be able to extend the useful life of some of those buildings. The average age of our housing stock is about 35 years old and some of it is in pretty rough shape," said Jo-Anne Poirier, CEO of Ottawa Community Housing.
The city says if the federal government approves the projects, more than 7,400 new jobs could be created.
That's something welcomed by the National Capital Heavy Construction Association, which says a boost in infrastructure spending couldn't come at a better time.
"The whole industry is experiencing a downturn when it comes to housing or residential or commercial development, so there's a lot of excess capacity that exists," said Dale Harley.
Under federal rules, the projects must be completed by 2011.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
