Saint-Félix-de-Valois, October 4, 2007 Acting on behalf of Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier of Quebec and Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions, David Whissell, Ministre du Travail and Ministre responsable de la région de Lanaudière, today joined Jacques Gourde, Member of Parliament for LotbinièreChutes-de-la-Chaudière and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, acting on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, in announcing that the Municipality of Saint-Félix-de-Valois will receive $530,000 in government funding under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) to bring its drinking water facilities up to standard.
The project involves installing a groundwater catchment system mainly consisting of a 350-metre pipe extending from the existing line, as well as carrying out various construction and levelling work and installing fencing around the existing wells. Upgrades will also be made to bring the Saint-Martin pumping and distribution station up to standard by building a mixing chamber, reconfiguring the intake lines and installing a sodium hydroxide metering system. Improvements will also be made to bring the existing control system into compliance with the requirements of the Règlement sur la qualité de l'eau potable (RQEP). These upgrades will help improve the quality of the drinking water for some 4,200 residents.
Completion of this project will necessitate an overall investment of $1,060,000 under component 1 of the MRIF. The Government of Quebec and Government of Canada will each contribute $265,000 toward these improvements, for a combined total of $530,000 in government assistance, while the Municipality of Saint-Félix-de-Valois will also assume $530,000 of the project's costs.
Saint-Félix-de-Valois Mayor Gilles Fréchette said he is delighted that this work, considered a key priority for improving local citizens' quality of life, is to be carried out.
The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is a $470 million cost-sharing initiative of the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada that is open to Quebec municipalities. With the financial participation of municipalities, this initiative could result in the execution of more than $700 million in infrastructure work. The objectives of the MRIF are to upgrade community infrastructure, improve the quality of the environment, promote long-term economic growth and enhance citizens' quality of life.
The program, which is in force until March 31, 2010, is administered by Quebec's Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions. Canada Economic Development is responsible for delivering the federal portion of the MRIF on behalf of the Government of Canada.
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Source:
Johanne Levesque
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions
514-873-6910
Information:
Jonathan Trudeau
Press Secretary
Office of the Vice-première ministre and Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions
418-691-2050
Yan Plante
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Canada Economic Development
819-953-5646
Marie-Claude Lemire
Communications Advisor
Canada Economic Development
514-283-2199
