For Release
October 26, 2007
Chase, British Columbia – Residents in the Village
of Chase will benefit from improvements to the wastewater collection system,
thanks to an investment of $489,000 from the federal and provincial governments,
Colin Mayes, Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap, and Kevin Krueger,
MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, announced today.
“The Government of Canada is working in partnership with the Province
of British Columbia to build safe and sustainable communities through
the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund,” said Mr. Mayes
on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s
Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister
of Western Economic Diversification. “This project will improve
the reliability of Chase’s wastewater system and protect the health
of the community and environment by reducing potential leaks.”
The Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CBCMRIF) contribution
will improve the reliability of Chase’s wastewater collection system
by replacing two old lift stations with one larger lift station, installing
force and gravity mains, and adding an emergency generator. This project
is conditionally approved pending the completion of an environmental assessment.
"This upgrade in Chase is an example of how B.C. is leading the
world in sustainable environmental management,” said Mr. Krueger.
“We are pleased to partner with the federal government and the Village
of Chase to make this project a reality.”
Under the initial CBCMRIF Agreement signed in June 2006, the federal and
provincial governments each committed $51 million to the fund, with participating
local governments expected to make up the remaining costs. This year,
the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C. have each provided an
additional $23.5 million to the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure
Fund as part of their commitment to help smaller communities meet their
pressing infrastructure needs. This additional funding brings the total
federal and provincial investment, with matching local government contribution
in CBCMRIF projects, to over $220 million.
The majority of the funding is targeted towards communities of fewer
than 250,000 people, and at least 60 per cent of the funding will assist
with “green projects” such as drinking water supply, treatment
and distribution needs, as well as wastewater and energy efficiency projects.
The remaining funds will be dedicated to other projects such as tourism,
recreation and other infrastructure.
More details on the program are available through the Canada-British
Columbia Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund website, at www.canadabcmrif.ca.
For additional information, contact:
Tom Wakefield
Western Economic Diversification Canada
604 666-2445
Marc Black
B.C. Ministry of Community Services
250 356-6334
