Pointe-Lebel, Quebec, December 16, 2009 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today joined Serge Simard, Quebec Minister for Natural Resources and Wildlife and Minister responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, in announcing that the Village of Pointe-Lebel will receive $2,986,304 in joint government financial assistance under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec to bring the water treatment plant up to standard and increase its capacity, and to install a drinking water production and distribution system and a wastewater system in Pointe-Lebel.
The first project involves bringing up to standard and increasing the capacity of the water treatment facilities supplying the water system in the municipality’s village sector. The existing equipment is outdated and its capacity, insufficient to meet demand during peak summer periods. As a result, the municipality has to cut the water supply at night so the treated water storage reservoirs can refill.
The second project involves the replacement of all the drinking water distribution and wastewater collection pipelines, replacing the wastewater treatment plants and establishing a new drinking water supply system from nearby Baie-Comeau at the Langlois and Murray Park mobile home parks.
These two projects will directly benefit some 1,350 local residents.
“Upgrading the water treatment plant in Pointe-Lebel and the installation of new pipelines will benefit the community’s residents and businesses. We are proud to be able to offer citizens the high quality of life for which our country is famous. The Government of Canada has made it its goal to ensure that every community is equipped with the infrastructure that is essential to the health, safety and well-being of our citizens. Public infrastructure renewal is part a broad action plan that will allow us to prosper in a healthy environment,” explained Minister of State Denis Lebel.
“In supporting these projects, the Government of Quebec is moving forward to ensure the province’s municipalities have infrastructure that suits their unique realities while fostering sustainable development. By injecting new capital into the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, our government is looking to accelerate the execution of numerous infrastructure projects throughout the province, like these in Pointe-Lebel, 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 Simard.
Completion of these projects will necessitate an overall eligible investment of $4,114,540. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $1,493,152 toward the work, for a total of $2,986,304 in combined government funding, while the municipality of Pointe-Lebel will itself assume $1,128,236 of the project’s costs.
The Communities component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec is a cost-sharing initiative aimed at funding 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.
The contribution from the Government of Canada has been awarded through Canada’s Economic Action Plan. To learn more about this plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca
For further information on the Government of Quebec’s Quebec Infrastructure Plan, see www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.
To find out more about the Building Canada Fund – Quebec or the process for submitting a funding application, visit www.buildingcanada-chantierscanada.gc.ca and www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
Sylvain Bourassa
Press Secretary
Office of the Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy
Tel.: 418-691-2050
