Funding boosted to $570,042 for water treatment in Sainte-Justine

Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF)

Sainte-Justine, Quebec, November 23, 2007 – Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier of Quebec and Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions, today joined Lévis−Bellechasse Member of Parliament Steven Blaney, acting on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, in announcing that the Municipality of Sainte-Justine will receive an additional $285,370 in funding, up from $284,672 to $570,042, under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) for water treatment works.

This increase in government funding was made necessary by modifications to the original work required to install a water treatment system in order to improve local drinking water quality.

The project mainly involves installing a manganese removal water treatment system, a chlorine disinfection system, a reservoir pipeline, a washwater storage tank, a pumping system and a force main to discharge these waters into the sewer system. It also calls for the enlargement of the well service building, the addition of measurement and monitoring equipment, the protection of existing wells and various other complementary works. These improvements will directly benefit some 1,450 local residents.

Completion of this project will necessitate a total eligible investment of $1,140,084 under component 1 of the MRIF. As such, the Government of Quebec and Government of Canada will each contribute $285,021 toward these upgrades, for a total of $570,042 in combined government funding, while the Municipality of Sainte-Justine will also assume $570,042 of the project's costs.

Sainte-Justine Mayor Marcel Morissette said he is delighted at the positive impact these improvements will have on the community's infrastructure and its citizens' quality of life.

The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is a cost-sharing initiative of the Government of Quebec and Government of Canada. The recent injection of an additional $80 million into component 3 of the MRIF brings to $470 million the total amount of financial assistance available to Quebec municipalities and organizations under the Fund. With the financial participation of the municipalities and organizations, this initiative could result in the execution of more than $700 million in infrastructure work. The objectives of the MRIF are to upgrade community infrastructure, improve the quality of the environment, promote long-term economic growth and enhance citizens' quality of life.

The program, which is in force until March 31, 2010, is administered by Quebec's Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions. Canada Economic Development is responsible for delivering the federal portion of the MRIF on behalf of the Government of Canada.

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Source:

Johanne Levesque
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions
514-873-6910

Information:

Jonathan Trudeau
Press Secretary
Office of the Deputy Premier and Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions
418-691-2050
514-873-2622

Jean-Philippe Payment
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Canada Economic Development
819-953-5646

Marie-Claude Lemire
Communications Advisor
Canada Economic Development
514-283-2199