Thurso, Quebec, July 17, 2009 – Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister responsible for the Outaouais region and Member of Parliament for Pontiac, today joined Norman MacMillan, Quebec’s Ministre délégué aux Transports, Ministre responsable de la région de l’Outaouais and Member of the National Assembly for Papineau, acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Ministre des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire, in announcing that the City of Thurso will receive $2,775,000 in joint government funding under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec for upgrades to its water production plant.
The proposed work mainly involves installing additional equipment in order to bring the plant into compliance with Quebec’s Design Guidelines for Drinking Water Production Facilities and replace certain dilapidated components, including the raw water intake, transmission main and raw water pumping station. Other upgrades are also planned, including replacing the current settling tank with two new tanks, adding a new wash water pump and ultraviolet disinfection system, increasing the drinking water reserve to 1,275 cubic metres, installing a new liquid chlorine disinfection system, levelling the instrumentation and controls and carrying out various complementary works.
This overall project, which will directly benefit some 2,320 local residents, will help improve the quality of the drinking water while renewing community infrastructure from a sustainable development standpoint.
“Once this work is complete, the water supply system will be better able to meet the needs of Thurso residents. Our communities across the country have to be able to rely on quality public infrastructure to ensure their growth and development and to better face the challenges ahead. That is why the Government of Canada is proud to join forces with the Government of Quebec in providing concrete support to a wide range of projects dedicated to improving the infrastructure that is essential to the well-being of our communities,” stated Minister Cannon.
“In supporting this major project, the Government of Quebec is moving forward to ensure the province’s municipalities have infrastructure that suits their unique realities while fostering sustainable development, a key element of any modern, wealth-building economy. By injecting new capital into the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, our government is looking to accelerate the execution of numerous infrastructure projects throughout the province in an effort to improve the well-being of Quebecers, create jobs and promote a high-performance economy. Our government wants to leave Quebec municipalities a legacy of quality infrastructure with which to face the challenges of the future,” added Minister MacMillan.
Completion of this project will necessitate an overall eligible investment of $5,550,000. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $1,387,500 toward this work, for a total of $2,775,000 in combined government assistance, while the City of Thurso will also assume $2,775,000 of the project’s costs.
The Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec is a cost-sharing initiative aimed at funding the execution of infrastructure projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. These communities are thus able to use this assistance to improve infrastructure that is in major need of revitalization, including water treatment plants, water supply systems and cultural and sports centres.
An unprecedented funding commitment on the part of the Government of Canada, the Building Canada Fund – Quebec provides stable and predictable funding to support infrastructure projects. In Quebec, nearly $4 billion will be allocated to that end.
For further details on the Building Canada Fund – Quebec or the process for submitting a funding application, see www.buildingcanada-chantierscanada.gc.ca and www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca/ .
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Sources:
Catherine Loubier
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tel.: 613-995-1851
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
Lyne Montpellier
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 800-567-8637
Sylvain Bourassa
Press Secretary
Office of the Ministre des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire
Tel.: 418-691-2050
Johanne Levesque
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire
Tel.: 514-873-6403, ext. 6146
