Picture : The Honorable Christian Paradis, Réal Ouellet, mayor of Plessisville and Claude Bachand, member of Parliament for Arthabaska.

Building Canada Fund – Quebec, Communities Component

Plessisville, Quebec – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada and Member of Parliament for Mégantic–L’Érable, and Claude Bachand, Member of the National Assembly for Arthabaska, acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Quebec’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, today announced that the City of Plessisville will receive $401,204 in joint government financial assistance under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec (FCCQ) for upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant.

The project mainly involves replacing the blowers on the wastewater treatment system, which have come to the end of their useful life. The three blowers installed in 1988 have accumulated an average of more than 85,000 hours of use and have been repaired countless times over the years. The rarity of the replacement parts has made it difficult to maintain operation of these blowers, resulting in their reduced performance and the need to replace them with new variable-speed models. This project will benefit some 9,000 local residents.

“Replacement of the blowers at the Plessisville wastewater treatment plant will be beneficial to the municipality’s residents and businesses alike. We are proud to be able to offer Canadians the high level of quality of life that has become our country’s trademark. Indeed, the Government of Canada is committed to equipping every community with modern facilities to ensure citizens’ health and safety. The renewal of public infrastructure is part of a vast action plan that will enable our country to thrive and prosper in a healthy environment,” stated Minister Christian Paradis.

“In supporting this major project, the Government of Quebec is moving forward to ensure the province’s municipalities have infrastructure that suits their unique realities while fostering sustainable development. By injecting new capital into the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, our government is looking to accelerate the execution of numerous infrastructure projects throughout the province, like this one in Plessisville, in an effort to improve Quebecers’ well-being, create jobs and promote a high-performance economy. Our government wants to leave its municipalities a legacy of quality infrastructure with which to face the challenges of the future,” added Claude Bachand.

Completion of this project will necessitate an overall eligible investment of $601,805. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $200,602 toward the work, for a total of $401,204 in combined government funding, while the City of Plessisville, for its part, will invest $200,601 in the project.

The Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec is a cost-sharing initiative aimed at funding the execution of infrastructure projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. These communities are thus able to use this assistance to improve infrastructure that is in major need of revitalization, including water treatment plants, water supply systems and cultural and sports centres.

It was also announced that the City of Plessisville will receive $3,193,336 in joint government financial assistance under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund for the rehabilitation of the water and sewer mains under St-Calixte Street.

This project involves replacing the existing water and combined sewer pipes, which have become old and outdated. As such, the current water main of 100 mm in diameter will be upgraded to a larger-volume pipe to ensure more efficient water delivery to the sector, and the combined sewer main will be replaced by separate sanitary and storm sewer pipes.

This project will require a total eligible investment of $4,790,000. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each invest $1,596,666, or $3,193,336 in combined government funding, will the City of Plessisville will also contribute $1,596,666 toward the cost of the work.

The funding announced today by the Government of Canada has been awarded through Canada’s Economic Action Plan. For more on this plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.