Water/Wastewater Fed Spending in 2016 BudgetHopefully this means good news for ENP. It looks like water/wastewater treatment is a priority in the 2016 Federal Budget released yesterday. Go to budget.gc.ca to view the entire budget announcement.
Sustaining Healthy Communities Through a New Clean Water and Wastewater Fund
Water and wastewater infrastructure is essential to keeping our waterways clean and our communities healthy and livable. Many systems across Canada need urgent improvements to ensure that Canadian families continue to have access to clean water. There are also high-risk wastewater facilities across the country that will require upgrades by 2020 in order to meet new, stronger federal environmental regulations.
To address these needs, the Government is announcing a new Clean Water and Wastewater Fund for provinces, territories and municipalities. Budget 2016 proposes to invest $2.0 billion over four years, starting in 2016–17, for immediate improvements to water distribution and treatment infrastructure.
In addition to delivering support for urgent provincial, territorial and municipal water and wastewater priorities, funding will be delivered to communities this year, on an expedited basis. To get projects moving quickly, the Government will fund up to 50 per cent of eligible costs for projects. Investment in this Fund will improve the safety and quality of water for Canadian families, while supporting job creation and a clean growth economy.
Budget 2016 also proposes to provide $1.8 billion over five years to address health and safety needs, to ensure proper facility operation and maintenance, and to end long-term boil water advisories on First Nations reserves within five years, as referenced in Chapter 3—A Better Future for Indigenous Peoples.
Accelerating Infrastructure Spending for Communities In addition to the new investments announced in Budget 2016, the Government has committed to accelerate spending for infrastructure projects under existing programs.
The Government is working on an urgent basis with its provincial, territorial and municipal partners to deliver these investments as quickly as possible.
Recent federal support for important projects include:
- Over $73.3 million in funding from the federal Gas Tax Fund for 57 capital and
- capacity-building projects in communities across British Columbia, including drinking water, wastewater, recreational and cultural infrastructure, local roads and bridges, community energy systems and improvements for passengers at the Smithers Regional Airport;
- Almost $5.4 million from the Small Communities Fund for water and wastewater projects in 11 communities across Saskatchewan, all of which have populations of less than 2,000, including the village of Yarbo. This investment will help ensure safe drinking water and expanded or improved wastewater systems in these communities for years to come;
- $62 million for the Ottawa Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel under the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component to reduce combined sewer overflows to the Ottawa River;
- $17.1 million in funding from the Gas Tax Fund to upgrade four drinking water treatment and distribution systems in Sherbrooke, Quebec. This investment supports the modernization of critical sustainable infrastructure and provides the residents of Sherbrooke with high-quality drinking water;
- $19 million for the Sydney Harbour West Wastewater Collection and Treatment Plant in Nova Scotia to bring wastewater treatment services in the area up to federal environmental regulatory standards and support expansions, upgrades and modifications to existing wastewater collection infrastructure;
- Up to $25.3 million from the Small Communities Fund to support five recreational and sport facility projects in Nunavut, including a cultural centre in Cape Dorset, repairs for the Cambridge Bay Arena and the Iqaluit Aquatic Centre; and
- $583 million towards the development of the Calgary ring road is being reviewed for funding through the New Building Canada Fund’s National Infrastructure Component. This project would provide Albertans with a safe, modern highway network that would improve travel times in and around one of Canada’s most important cities and support economic growth in the province.