Projects approved under Canada's Small Communities Fund
July 06, 2015 –– Kamloops, British Columbia– Infrastructure Canada
Residents of Kamloops and Black Pines will benefit from upgraded water infrastructure thanks to joint funding from the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Small Communities Fund.
To help protect Kamloops' municipal water users from the potential impacts of a hazardous material spill along the Canadian Pacific main line/Trans-Canada Highway and/or in the event of a failure at the Kamloops Centre for Water Quality, Kamloops will add a secondary raw water intake in the North Thompson River. This will ensure a backup supply of water is available for all connections currently served by the existing River Street intake in the event of an emergency, or if raw water from the South Thompson River ever becomes unsuitable for treatment or consumption. The solution will let Kamloops continue to meet over 99% of the 71,000 water utility customers' needs in the event of a raw water quality emergency.
In addition, to allow the Thompson-Nicola Regional District to continue providing Black Pines' residents with safe, clean drinking water, a new raw water intake for their community water system and accompanying treatment plant will be built in a more stable location of the North Thompson River.
The projects announced today are among 55 recently approved in British Columbia that will collectively receive more than $128 million in joint federal-provincial funding under the Small Communities Fund. These projects represent important investments in municipal infrastructure that maintain safe, healthy communities. Once complete, the work will significantly improve key municipal services for residents and help boost regional development.
Through the Small Communities Fund, the governments of Canada and British Columbia are working in partnership to provide funding for priority public infrastructure projects that deliver on local needs in communities across the province that have fewer than 100,000 residents. These investments support job creation and economic growth, thus sustaining a high quality of life in small communities across British Columbia for years to come.
Vincent Rabault
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
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
Communications
250-953-3677
Mark Woods
Community Services Manager
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen
250-492-0237
Paul Taylor
Director of Communications
UBCM
250-356-2938
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll-free 1-877-250-7154
Email: media@infc.gc.ca
Twitter: @INFC_eng
Website: Infrastructure Canada
