EDMONTON, Alta. — Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach yesterday announced the province’s first 20-year blueprint for infrastructure funding.

“With forecasts indicating our economy will remain strong and our population will continue to grow, we have a responsibility to plan now for the infrastructure needs of tomorrow,” said Stelmach. “This plan shows us that Albertans have every reason to be hopeful about the future. It shows we can build responsibly and put ourselves ahead of the growth curve. We don’t ever want to be in a position of playing catch-up again. With this plan, building tomorrow begins today.”

The strategic plan identifies immediate and medium-term infrastructure requirements and also looks ahead to prepare for long-term needs. Stelmach pointed out that Albertans pay on average three times as much per capita on infrastructure than the other provinces.

The plan anticipates the need to invest about $6 billion per year to meet short- and medium-term objectives, including the provincial highway network and other transportation corridors. The 20-year plan can be viewed at www.alberta.ca.