Canada-Quebec Partnership on Infrastructure

May 08, 2009

 

$70 million investment in drinking water for Thetford Mines

Thetford Mines, May 8, 2009 – The federal Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, Christian Paradis, and the Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Minister responsible for the ChaudièreAppalaches region, Laurent Lessard (acting for the Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, Nathalie Normandeau) today took pleasure in announcing that the Canadian and Quebec governments will be working together to improve drinking water installations in the City of Thetford Mines.

“Water is one of our most precious resources,” Mr Paradis said, “and this federal-provincial-municipal partnership in Thetford Mines is another example of what our government is doing to improve the quality of water infrastructures for Quebeckers.  Our investment will not only contribute to the health of the residents of Thetford Mines, it will also help create jobs and thereby support the local economy.”

“This is a major project,” Mr Lessard said, “one that will make it possible to provide good clean water to 22,000 people while stimulating the economy of Thetford Mines.  The investment is the culmination of work that started in 2000.  I am very proud of this announcement and very pleased for the citizens I represent.”

The government funding will be used to build a filtration plant with a water intake in Lake SaintFrançois and to carry out a variety of complementary projects, including a pumping station for raw water and an outlet pipe from Lake SaintFrançois to the filtration plant.  All these improvements will enable the City of Thetford Mines to offer its residents better-quality drinking water.

The Canadian and Quebec governments could be contributing as much as $26.25 million each, for total government assistance of $52.5 million.  To round out the tripartite funding for the project, the City will be contributing $17.5 million.

These investments are part of the commitment by the Canadian and Quebec governments to stimulate the economy, maintain stability and preserve jobs despite the economic slowdown.

Moreover, Canada’s Economic Action Plan includes the acceleration and expansion of recent historic federal investments in infrastructure with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years.

The Quebec government’s share falls under the Plan québécois des infrastructures (PQI), the biggest reconstruction program in Quebec’s history.  With an envelope of $41.8 billion for the period from 2008 to 2013, the Plan is designed to establish standards and to repair, renew and maintain Quebec’s public infrastructures.  In 15 years’ time, Quebec will have fully renovated its public infrastructures.  They will be something we can all be proud of.