East Farnham, Quebec, July 20, 2009 – Acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Quebec’s Ministre des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire, Pierre Paradis, Member of the National Assembly for Brome-Missisquoi, today joined the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, in announcing that the Municipality of East Farnham has been awarded an additional $1,017,948 in funding, up from $882,052 to $1,900,000, under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) for waterworks improvements.
This increase in funding has become necessary due mainly to revisions in the work needed to improve the municipality’s community infrastructure, including the addition of upgrades in the Jones sector.
The government funding will be used to lay sanitary sewer lines for wastewater collection to 120 homes in the Village sector and 44 in the Jones sector. This wastewater will be channelled to the water treatment facilities in the neighbouring city of Cowansville, which has sufficient treatment capacity to handle the additional volume. These improvements will directly benefit nearly 445 people.
Completion of this project will necessitate an overall eligible investment of $2,850,000 under component 1 of the MRIF. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $950,000 toward this work, for a total of $1,900,000 in combined government funding, while the Municipality of East Farnham will itself assume $950,000 of the project’s costs.
East Farnham Mayor Madeleine Chabot said she is pleased that this project, which promises to further the development of the municipality and improve citizens’ well-being, will now be carried out.
The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is a cost-sharing initiative of the Government of Quebec and Government of Canada that makes $470 million in funding available to Quebec municipalities and non-governmental organizations. With the financial participation of these municipalities and organizations, this initiative could result in the execution of more than $700 million in infrastructure work. The objectives of the MRIF are to improve community infrastructure, the quality of the environment and citizens’ quality of life, and to promote long-term economic growth.
The program, which is in force until March 31, 2010, is administered by Quebec’s Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire. 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, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire
Tel.: 514-873-6403, ext. 6146
Information:
Sylvain Bourassa
Press Secretary
Office of the Ministre des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire
Tel.: 418-691-2050
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
Karina Gagnon
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 418-368-6048 or 1-866-368-0044
