Peace River, Alberta, Friday, September 27, 2013 – Residents and officials gathered today at the Shaftesbury water treatment plant to celebrate major upgrades to the facility that will provide long-lasting benefits to the community.
"Keeping our communities healthy and safe is one of our Government's highest priorities,"
said Chris Warkentin, Member of Parliament for Peace River. "We are proud to have contributed to the Shaftesbury water treatment upgrade project, which will help ensure local residents have high quality, clean water for years to come."
"The well-being of Albertans is the reason behind the Alberta government's commitment to investing in families and communities,"
said Ric McIver, Minister of Alberta Transportation. "This major project will provide Peace River residents with a safe and reliable source of drinking water for generations to come, and our government is pleased to have contributed the major share of funding through $16.8 million under the Water for Life program."
"This is a once in a generation project that will benefit our residents and community for many decades to come,"
said Town of Peace River Mayor, Lorne G Mann. "Today's opening is part of the Town's ongoing commitment to quality of life in Peace River."
In addition to the treatment processes already in place, the plant has been upgraded to include additional clarification, sedimentation, filtration, chlorination and fluoridation measures. This investment will help ensure that Peace River residents continue to receive safe, clean drinking water for years to come.
The Town of Peace River contributed $4,950,496 and used $747,079 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation toward the upgrades. As well, $16,804,616 from the Government of Alberta's Water For Life Program helped fund the project. The total project cost was $22,502,191.
The federal Gas Tax Fund transfer provides long-term funding to municipalities across the country to build and revitalize their local infrastructure. The Government of Canada has invested over $10 billion to date in municipal infrastructure through this program, and passed legislation to make it a permanent transfer of $2 billion per year. In Alberta, the program currently provides over $199.5 million of predictable, long-term funding annually to help municipalities build and revitalize public infrastructure. As part of Economic Action Plan 2013, the Government committed to index the Gas Tax Fund to provide additional funding for communities, starting in 2014.
Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013 is delivering a New Building Canada Plan to build roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Thanks to the Government of Canada's leadership and our strong economic and financial fundamentals, the Canadian economy has recovered from the global recession better than most other industrialized countries. Canada has been a leader among G-7 countries throughout the recovery with more than one million net new jobs created since July 2009. The New Building Canada Plan, combined with other federal infrastructure investments, supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation.
The Alberta government is committed to investing in families and communities and opening new markets for Alberta's resources to help build the provincial economy. Alberta's transportation system continues to play a key role in helping move the province forward, supporting a high quality of life, and promoting a safe environment for current and future generations.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure visit Infrastructure Canada or follow us on Twitter at @INFC_eng.
Marie-Josée Paquette
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
613-943-1838
David Hennig
Communications
Alberta Transportation
780-427-1938
TJ Flynn
Communications Coordinator
Peace River
780-624-2574
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
