Saint-Ubalde, January 24, 2012 – Improvements to the water system in Saint-Ubalde are now complete. The announcement was made today by Michel Matte, Member of the National Assembly for Portneuf, Parliamentary assistant to the Minister for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs and the Canadian francophonie and Minister responsible for the Reform of Democratic Institutions and Access to Information, and Pierre Saint-Germain, Mayor of Saint-Ubalde. The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, is pleased to see the benefits associated with the completion of these projects.
“The Government of Canada recognizes the need to renew and replace drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in communities across the country,” said Minister Lebel. “Our government is proud to invest in projects that create local jobs, boost the economy and provide communities such as Saint-Ubalde with key infrastructure to support safe and clean drinking water.”
“I am pleased that the Government of Quebec supported these initiatives that will help meet the needs of Saint-Ubalde citizens. The Municipality has improved its water distribution system, which will contribute to a better quality of life and safer water supply for all residents. This program is also supporting many jobs in the region, thus ensuring the sustainable development of a prosperous Quebec," added MNA Matte.
Mayor Saint-Germain said he is pleased to see that these long-awaited projects by his fellow citizens have come to fruition. “These projects are also an important milestone in our program to improve the water system”
Work done during fall 2010 consisted of replacing pipes over a distance of 2.2 kilometres on rang St-Achille (Route 363 North). This project benefited from a federal-provincial contribution of $742,000 under the federal-provincial agreement made in relation to the Program for the renewal of drinking water and wastewater pipes (PRECO). With a $393,000 contribution from the Municipality of Saint-Ubalde, these investments, estimated at a little over $1.1 million, funded major infrastructure work.
During the summer of 2011, the municipality used a contribution of $614,506 from Canada’s Gas Tax Fund and the Quebec government's contribution, to reach another important milestone in the improvement of its water supply system and the upgrade of its infrastructure. The project was completed in two phases – in phase one, pipes were replaced over a distance of 1.3 km along Route 363 up to Patates Dolbec, and in phase two, it was extended 1.8 kilometres south , up to the intersection with rang Sainte-Anne South. This extension will allow 18 additional users, whose individual shallow wells had been providing water unfit for human consumption for a number of years, to be served.
Work completed in 2010 has already allowed the Municipality of Saint-Ubalde to reduce network clients’ water consumption by 25%. As well, the municipality has benefited from significant energy savings on the network’s supply systems. This work fits in perfectly with the Government of Quebec’s policy on sustainable development and allows Saint-Ubalde to meet the objectives outlined in the Stratégie québécoise d’économie d’eau potable, which sets the objective of reducing the quantity of water consumed per capita in the province of Quebec by 20% by 2017, in relation to the 2001 consumption.
A simple and innovative program, PRECO enables Quebec municipalities to restore or replace their water mains, sewers and storm sewers. There are over 80,000 kilometres of municipal underground water and sewer mains in Quebec, estimated to be worth over $60 billion. The Canada and Quebec governments have allocated a total of $700 million for projects funded under this program. The $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund is part of the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan. The Government of Canada has earmarked up to $350 million of this fund for approved PRECO projects.
Canada’s Gas Tax Fund provides stable, long-term funding to municipalities to help them build and revitalize public infrastructure. This Infrastructure Canada program primarily supports capital projects such as local roads, public transit, energy systems and waste management infrastructure that lead to cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced greenhouse gas emissions. On December 15, 2011, the Government of Canada passed legislation to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent annual investment.
Additional information:
For further information on infrastructure investments, visit infrastructure.gc.ca and infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.
For further information on Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit actionplan.gc.ca.
For further information on the Quebec infrastructure plan, le Plan québécois des infrastructures, visit tresor.gouv.qc.ca/fr/documentation/secteur/budget.asp.
Contacts:
Pierre Floréa
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
Julie Boivin
Press Secretary
Office of the Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy
418-691-2050
Nicole Gingras
Political Assistant
Office of the MNA for Portneuf
418-268-3860
Caroline Saint-Pierre
Communications Directorate
Quebec Department of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy
418-691-2015
