Archived News Releases

July 2, 2015

VIRDEN—Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon–Souris, and Drew Caldwell, Minister of Municipal Government for Manitoba, were joined today by Jeff McConnell, Mayor of the Town of Virden, to announce funding of up to $8 million for the second phase of construction of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Virden, Manitoba under the New Building Canada Plan.

The project involves the design and construction of a secondary wastewater treatment plant to replace the former facility, which had exceeded its useful life and had not been operational since 2012.

The new plant will improve the level of wastewater effluent prior to being discharged into Gopher Creek.  It will protect and enhance the local community, as well as those located downstream.  It will also allow the Town to meet provincial wastewater treatment standards and the federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations.

The New Building Canada Plan is the largest and longest federal infrastructure plan in Canada’s history.  This unprecedented commitment is providing $53 billion to support provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure, between 2014 and 2024.

Over this 10–year period, Manitoba will benefit from approximately $1.2 billion in dedicated federal funding, including almost $467 million under the New Building Canada Fund.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has selected this project for funding consideration of up to one-third of eligible costs, to a maximum of $4 million under the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial – Territorial Infrastructure Component – National and Regional Projects. This funding is conditional on the project meeting applicable federal eligibility requirements with respect to the New Building Canada Fund and the signing of a contribution agreement. 
• The Province of Manitoba will be contributing $4 million to the project.
• The Town of Virden will be responsible for all remaining costs of the project, which has a total estimated cost of $12 million.
• The $53-billion New Building Canada Plan provides stable funding for a 10-year period and includes:
  • The Community Improvement Fund, consisting of the Gas Tax Fund and the incremental Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities, which will provide over $32 billion to municipalities for projects such as roads, public transit and recreational facilities, and other community infrastructure.
    • The $14-billion New Building Canada Fund, which consists of:
  • The $4-billion National Infrastructure Component that will support projects of national significance; and
  • The $10-billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component for projects of national, regional and local significance. Of this amount, $1 billion for projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents through the Small Communities Fund.
• An additional $1.25 billion in funding for the Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Canada Fund administered by PPP Canada.
• Manitoba’s support for this project is drawn from its $5.5-billion, five-year plan to invest in core infrastructure including roads, bridges, clean water projects and flood protection.  Independent analysis conducted by the Conference Board of Canada projects Manitoba’s plan will create 58,900 jobs, boost the province’s economy by $6.3 billion and increase exports by $5.4 billion.

Quotes

“We are proud to invest in Virden’s new wastewater treatment plant as it is a crucial piece of infrastructure for the community.  Our Government’s support for public infrastructure has never been stronger.  We are committed to investing in projects under the New Building Canada Fund, to ensure that infrastructure funding continues to flow in Manitoba, as we focus on creating jobs and building prosperous communities across Canada.”

Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon—Souris, on behalf of Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

“The Province of Manitoba is committed to working with our municipalities to improve public infrastructure that will increase the quality of life of Manitobans as well as help protect our environment.  Providing better waste-water treatment is essential for communities and will assist in the Town of Virden’s growth and development.  This is an important step forward in advancing economic development for western Manitoba.”

Drew Caldwell, Minister of Municipal Government for Manitoba

 “On behalf of the Town of Virden, I would like to thank the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba for their strong commitments to our community in funding Phase II of our Waste Water Treatment Plant.  Our region clearly has strong potential for both economic growth and population growth.  This growth requires robust community infrastructure to service the residents and businesses.  By committing to the creation of a functional, clean and effective Waste Water Treatment Facility, Virden and our community partners can continue to grow and flourish in a responsible and sustainable manner.”

Jeff McConnell, Mayor, Town of Virden

Associated Links

To learn more about the New Building Canada Fund –Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component –National and Regional Projects, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nrp-pnr-prog-eng.html

For additional information on the New Building Canada Plan, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nbcp-npcc-eng.html

Manitoba’s five-year, $5.5 billion infrastructure plan can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/mit/pdf/five-yr-plan.pdf.

To learn more about the Government of Canada’s focus on jobs and the economy consult Canada’s Economic Action Plan at www.budget.gc.ca/2015/home-accueil-eng.html.

 

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