Residents in Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond to benefit from improved drinking water and wastewater infrastructure

ANTIGONISH, NS, July 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Investing in local water and wastewater infrastructure is essential to ensuring Canadian families have access to modern reliable services that improve their quality of life, protect the environment and position communities for growth.    

Today, Sean Fraser, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, on behalf of the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development; the Honourable Randy Delorey, Minister of Health and Wellness, on behalf of Chuck Porter, Minister of the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Owen McCarron, Warden for the Municipality of the County of Antigonish; and Her Worship, Christine Blair, Mayor of the Municipality of the County of Colchester announced funding to support improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure in the municipalities of Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond.

One project will extend drinking water lines throughout Antigonish County to improve the quality of water service to residents. Another will improve water pump stations in the towns of Valley, Salmon River and Debert in Colchester County, to provide more than 200 homes with more reliable wastewater treatment. The Town of Arichat in Richmond County will also benefit from an upgraded water treatment plant to provide high-quality drinking water for residents.  

Once complete, these projects will modernize water and wastewater infrastructure in the municipalities of Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond, improving efficiency of services and limiting maintenance and operating costs, while creating healthier, sustainable communities.      

The Government of Canada is investing over $1.2 million total towards these projects under the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The Government of Nova Scotia is contributing over $1 million total to these projects. Colchester is providing over $449,000, Antigonish is providing over $292,000, and Richmond is providing over $66,000.

Quotes

"Making sure that communities across Canada have modern water and wastewater infrastructure is essential to building a healthy, sustainable future. These important projects in Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond Counties will greatly improve the quality of life for residents, providing them with access to clean drinking water and a healthier environment for generations to come."  

Sean Fraser on behalf of the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development

"I am pleased to be here today to announce these significant investments in the municipalities of Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond. Through these projects, residents in Beech Hill and North Grant will have increased access to high-quality drinking water and residents in Arichat, Valley, Salmon River and Debert will have more reliable municipal wastewater services. As we are all aware, strong municipal infrastructure is the foundation for building strong communities. With these investments we are also investing in the sustainability and growth of these communities."    

The Honourable Randy Delorey, Minister of Health and Wellness, on behalf of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Chuck Porter

"This financial commitment from the Provincial and Federal Governments will allow us to move forward with needed expansions of the Municipality's water system, providing residents and businesses with reliable access to clean drinking water and enhancing opportunities for development in our community."

Warden Owen McCarron, Municipality of the County of Antigonish

"Colchester County Council very much appreciates the invaluable financial support provided by the federal and provincial partners through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan (ICIP). The funding will enable Colchester County to undertake much needed upgrades to its critical infrastructure in support of its overall asset management strategy."

Her Worship, Christine Blair, Mayor of the Municipality of the County of Colchester

"The Municipality of the County of Richmond is grateful for approval of its ICIP funding application in the amount of $250,000 for improvements to the Arichat Water Treatment Facility. The funding will allow for immediate improvements in water quality for customers. The funding will see modernization of the plant instrumentation and chemical dosing equipment as well as the installation of new corrosion control dosing equipment as part of the utility's corrosion control program. This work would not be possible without the support of our funding partners."

Warden Brian Marchand, Municipality of the County of Richmond

Quick facts

• Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
• $26.9 billion of this funding is supporting green infrastructure projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
• On June 27, 2019, the Government of Canada launched two new strategies: Canada's Connectivity Strategy, which commits to connect all Canadians to high-speed internet, and Canada's first Rural Economic Development Strategy, which will spur economic growth and create good, middle class jobs for rural Canadians across the country.
• The Rural Economic Development Strategy leverages ongoing federal investments and provides a vision for the future, identifying practical steps to take in the short term, and serving as a foundation to guide further work.
• These investments complement the Atlantic Growth Strategy, a federal-provincial action plan aimed at stimulating economic growth in the region through five priority areas:
• Skilled workforce/Immigration;
• Innovation;
• Clean growth and climate change;
• Trade and investment;
• Infrastructure.

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Backgrounder

Residents in Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond to benefit from improved drinking water and wastewater infrastructure

Joint federal, provincial and municipal funding through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan will support water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects in the municipalities of Antigonish, Colchester and Richmond, Nova Scotia.

The Government of Canada is investing over $1.2 million in these projects through the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Nova Scotia is contributing over $1 million. Municipalities are contributing over $807,000 to these projects.

Project Information:

Project Name	Location	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding	Municipal Funding
Water System Expansion	Antigonish	Extending the waterlines by 2.5 km in North Grant, and from Church Street to Beech Hill	$437,988	$364,954	$292,029
Wastewater Collection Improvements: Valley, Salmon River, Debert	Colchester	Upgrading Pumping Station 15 in Valley, and Pumping Station 6 in Salmon River; diverting flows away from the treatment plant in Debert	$673,480	$561,177	$449,043
Arichat Water Treatment Plant Upgrades	Richmond	Installing a new chemical injection system, modernizing instrumentation, repair filters, upgrading equipment and controls	$100,000	$83,325	$66,675

Associated links

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Rural Opportunity, National Prosperity: An Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/rural/strat-eng.html

Federal infrastructure investments in Nova Scotia: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/ns-eng.html

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Rural Opportunity, National Prosperity: An Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/rural/strat-eng.html

Atlantic Growth Strategy: http://www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca/ags-sca/Eng/atlantic-growth.html

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Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

Emilie Simard, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Rural Economic development, 613-864-7690, [email protected]; Lynette MacLeod, Communications Advisor, Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs, 902-229-0785, [email protected]; Warden Owen McCarron, Municipality of the County of Antigonish, 902-968-1290, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca