Black River-Matheson, Ontario, June 20, 2012 – Residents of Black River-Matheson are benefitting from recent upgrades to the Matheson Sewage Treatment Plant, thanks to Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.
“These upgrades will help protect the environment and support the health and well-being of this community,” said Jay Aspin, Member of Parliament for Nipissing—Timiskaming, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “Our Government is proud to invest in infrastructure projects that create local jobs, promote economic growth and build strong, sustainable and prosperous communities.”
“The Gas Tax funding enabled the municipality to undertake the replacement of the sewage plant aeration system. Black River-Matheson was able to enhance the plant’s operation and is now benefitting from the energy savings,” said Mayor Mike Milinkovich.
The project involved the replacement of air diffusers and a blower in the aeration system of the Matheson Sewage Treatment Plant. These upgrades will reduce the overall use of energy, lowering costs to residents and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The aeration system is now also equipped to accommodate future growth and development.
The Township of Black River-Matheson used $134,068 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation toward the upgrades to the Matheson Sewage Plant.
"Canada's Gas Tax Fund acknowledges that all orders of government must work together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in our municipalities," said Gary McNamara, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). "Stable and predictable, the Gas Tax Fund is supporting long-term investment in local priority projects right across Ontario."
Canada’s Gas Tax Fund provides stable, long-term funding to local governments to help them build and revitalize public infrastructure. In December 2011, the Government of Canada passed legislation to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent annual investment of $2 billion per year. The Government of Canada, through the Gas Tax Fund alone, provides $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. Between 2010 and 2014, the Township of Black River-Matheson will receive $642,703 from the Gas Tax Fund.
Over the course of the summer, the Government of Canada will be engaging provinces, territories and stakeholders in a series of roundtables to develop a new long-term infrastructure plan. This plan will focus on investments that support job creation and economic growth, while building strong, prosperous communities across the country. In addition, the Government of Canada will hold a roundtable with national stakeholders and representatives of the private sector at the end of the summer. Working together to develop this plan will provide new opportunities for all orders of government and the private sector to build partnerships to improve public infrastructure in Canada.
For further information on the Government of Canada’s infrastructure investments in Ontario, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
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For additional information, please contact:
Geneviève Sicard
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Heather Smith
Clerk-Treasurer
Township of Black River-Matheson
705-273-2313
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
