Calgary’s mayor said that the $500 million in federal municipal infrastructure cash announced Wednesday will be ‘game-changing’ for cities, especially those who are seeing significant population growth.

The Government of Canada and the Alberta government signed an agreement on July 29 that will allow Alberta municipalities to access more than half a billion in funding over the next eight years for housing-enabling water and wastewater infrastructure.

The province will contribute a minimum of one-third to the eligible projects, making another $428 million available in provincial funding for these projects.

“Strong communities start with the infrastructure to support them,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

“By investing in the water and wastewater systems communities rely on, we’re doing what it takes to build more housing, attract new investment and keep pace with Alberta’s growth.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was in Red Deer on Wednesday for the announcement, said that they are ready to back Alberta’s ambitious plan to scale up homebuilding.

“We’re partners in this mission, working in the true spirit of cooperative federalism,” he said.

“From transformative energy projects to the water infrastructure in your communities, we are building bigger, faster, and better because we’re building together. We’re building a stronger Alberta and a stronger Canada for all.”

The funding will be administered through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, and the province will play a lead role in prioritizing projects that best reflect regional infrastructure needs, according to a provincial news release.

Under the agreement, 20 per cent of the funding will go to rural or Indigenous communities in the province.

Eligible funding recipients include municipalities, public sector entities, Indigenous communities and other private sector partners who are working with public agencies.

Mayor made the ask at the Big City Mayors’ Caucus

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas told reporters on Wednesday that the announcement from the federal and provincial governments was a big step towards funding critical infrastructure needed for growth.

“The (one) third cost sharing from the feds is going to be able to help get a lot of projects across the line that otherwise wouldn’t,” he said.

Mayor Farkas said that at least $25 million in proposals will come from the City of Calgary in the short term, largely for the construction of the Bearspaw feeder main replacement project.

Still, he noted the $50 billion infrastructure deficit over the next 10 years that Calgary city council must address.

“This is going to be a critical part of playing catch-up to where we know we need to be,” Mayor Farkas said.

“And then the other question remains: How we address some of the other deficiencies in infrastructure, not just those that are connected with housing development.”

To that end, Mayor Farkas said that federal and provincial infrastructure cash can’t just be related to housing development. He said there are needs for transportation networks, recreation and other critical amenities in a growing city.

He said that as the city moves into the so-called nodes-and-corridors approach to transit-oriented development, it’s going to require front-ending the public infrastructure to “make the pro forma for the housing development close to LRT stations make sense.”

“This is a game-changing investment. We’re certainly pleased to see Premier Smith getting Alberta’s fair share of that investment,” Farkas said.

“So, now it’s incumbent on us here in Calgary to get Calgary’s fair share of Alberta’s investment.”