LONDON, Ont. - The federal and Ontario governments papered over some deep fiscal disagreements Thursday as Ottawa announced billions of dollars for infrastructure in the province.

The funding deal will see Ottawa kick in $6.2 billion over the next seven years. Federal Infrastructure Minister Lawrence Cannon says, with contributions from Ontario and its municipalities, as much as $15 billion could flow to infrastructure in the province.

Cannon says substantial infrastructure funding for Ontario is long overdue.

The spending is expected to create much needed jobs in the province, which has been hit hard in recent months by cutbacks in manufacturing and the auto sector.

Initial priorities include improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway in northwestern Ontario, rural broadband coverage in parts of Ontario and rapid transit in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region.

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