Québec, May 26, 2006 - Acting on behalf of
Nathalie Normandeau, Quebec's Ministre des Affaires municipales et des
Régions, Michel Després, Ministre des Transports, ministre
responsable de la région de la Capitale-Nationale and Member of the National
Assembly for Jean-Lesage, today joined the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of
International Cooperation, Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages
and Member of Parliament for Louis Saint-Laurent, acting on behalf of the
Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of
Canada Economic Development, in announcing that the City of Québec
will receive $16,736,000 in combined government funding under the Canada-Quebec
Infrastructure Works Program to build a filtration plant and to carry out
drinking water supply work that will benefit some 72,000 residents in the
city's Charlesbourg district.
These ministers were joined on this occasion by Éric R. Mercier,
Member of the National Assembly for Charlesbourg, Daniel Petit, Member of
Parliament for Charlesbourg Haute-Saint-Charles, and Ralph Mercier, Senior
Vice President of the Executive Committee of the City of Québec.
"Today's announcement will see to it that water treatment and supply
facilities are brought up to standard, thereby ensuring better drinking water
quality for residents and improving community infrastructure in the Charlesbourg
district," declared Minister Michel Després.
"This major project, the result of close cooperation among the City of Québec
and the governments of Quebec and of Canada, will help ensure this district of
the city is equipped with urgently-needed, state-of-the art critical
infrastructure," concluded Minister Josée Verner.
This project will include installation of a new raw water intake adjacent to
the existing intake in Lac des Roches, and construction of a raw water booster
pump station (Des Érables station), including a
145-square metre service building, at the north-west extension of
Lacroix Street. The project will also include construction of a filtration plant
of some 2,500-square metres to be erected about 200 metres east of
Chemin du Lac des Roches, as well as construction of a new underground
30,000-cubic metre capacity drinking water reservoir next to the planned
filtration plant. Supplementary work will also be carried out as part of this
project.
It should be noted that this district of the city is served primarily by
three raw water sources (Lac des Roches, the Des Érables reservoir and the
Bon-Pasteur springs) and the drinking water supplied to this district currently
receives no treatment other than basic disinfection by chlorine. The new
filtration plant, which will help improve the existing supply system as well as
the quality of drinking water, will be designed to treat up to
56,000 cubic-metres per day, the maximum daily water consumption projected
for the next 10 years.
This work will necessitate an eligible investment of $33,472,000, of which
$16,736,000 will be assumed by the City of Québec and $8,368,000 by
each the governments of Canada and of Quebec, for a total of $16,736,000 in
combined government assistance.
The Canada-Quebec Infrastructure Works program is aimed at helping
communities repair, replace and build water supply, sewer and sewage treatment
systems, develop projects involving experiments with new technologies and create
projects that enhance, restore or construct facilities with economic, urban or
regional side benefits. This aspect of the program is overseen by the
Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions. The program also
supports highway systems and public transportation, under the responsibility of
the Ministère des Transports du Québec and
Infrastructures-Transport. Canada Economic Development
administers the program on behalf of the Government of Canada. The program will
generate work worth a total of $1.686 billion.
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Source:Jean-Pierre GagnonCommunications AdvisorCommunications
BranchMinistère des Affaires municipales et des Régions418
691-2019
Information:Jonathan TrudeauPress SecretaryOffice of the
Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions418
691-2050
Roxanne MarchandPress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable
Jean-Pierre Blackburn819 953-2806
Nadja RaphaëlCommunications AdvisorCanada Economic Development514
283-2634Canada Economic Development is on line at www.dec-ced.gc.ca.
