Stelmach announced Thursday what Edmonton's $165 million will be used for

Premier Ed Stelmach announced on Thursday that the $165 million Edmonton received from the province this year will pay for a new police station in Terwillegar and other important infrastructure projects.

The southwest division police station is expected to cost $9.9 million. Acting police chief David Korol said the new station will house about 200 officers.

“That’s the area they police and that’s where the expansion is happening in terms of growth, in that particular part of the city,” he said. The building is expected to be completed next year, he said.

The other projects will include widening of 137th Avenue, design and construction of a new animal control facility and rehabilitation of Dawson Bridge.

The money, which comes from the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, was promised in the recent provincial budget.

“We are getting some tremendous good value for these capital dollars and of course the money is going further and further now than ever before,” Stelmach told a news conference at Edmonton police headquarters.

“We remain 100 per cent committed to the Municipal Sustainability Initiative. This funding will remain secure.

“Locally, municipally elected officials are much closer to their communities and they make the best decisions in terms of what infrastructure has to be built.”

Since 2007, Edmonton has received $568 million under the initiative, which has helped build 64 projects including public transit garages, recreation facilities, roads and bridges. The money has also paid for upgrading a library, building an eco-station and constructing the Ellerslie fire station.

“This has been a lifeline for us to begin to improve our infrastructure,” Mayor Stephen Mandel said of the initiative. “This program has allowed the City of Edmonton and many other cities in the province of Alberta to reach out, to make improvements that have been vitally needed to our communities.”

“I think it’s been a remarkable program and I’m so glad to see that it is going to continue for a number of years.”

Liberal Leader David Swann, who attended the announcement, said it is good news for Edmonton but the province should give municipalities more power to raise money.

“Municipalities have been asking for years for stable dependable funding so they can plan beyond one year,” he said.

“We have been pushing for ... enhanced powers of revenue generation for municipalities. That’s treating them as legitimate equal partners in democracy.”

With files from the Edmonton Journal.