Joint Federal and Provincial venture
Article and images by Bill Hornbostel
Above image, (L-R)Dereck Paul, Philip Lawrence, Bob Crate, David Piccini, Brian Ostrander, John Henderson, Gail Latchford & Bob Sanderson
A host of local officials gathered at Cobourg’s Water Treatment Plant on April 29 to announce millions of dollars in funds in infrastructure spending around Northumberland: MPP David Piccini, MP Philip Lawrence, Cobourg Mayor John Henderson, Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson, Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander, Alnwick-Haldimand Mayor Gail Latchford, Trent Hills Mayor Bob Crate, as well as Dereck Paul, President and CEO of Lakeshore Utilities.
The infrastructure spending is part of the “Green Infrastructure stream” of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), a joint venture of the Federal and Provincial Governments. Between the two levels of government, the projects amount to more than $11.5 million in spending around Northumberland County.
MP Philip Lawrence said, “We have a housing shortage in Northumberland, and really across Canada, and in order to build housing, we need infrastructure. And so, it’s absolutely critical that we support both business and we support homeownership by putting in appropriate infrastructure. And I think it’s the role of the federal government and the provincial government.”
Philip Lawrence
“It’s so great to have this many politicians, this many staff members working together for the betterment of Northumberland,” continued Lawrence. “I will say MPP Piccini, at the outset of the COVID pandemic, got us all together, and we’ve been meeting nearly on a weekly basis to make sure we’re all aligned, all doing the same thing. We all want to do what’s in the best interest of the community.”
Piccini said, “With respect to partnerships, to serve this community, we can’t do it alone. In fact, government can’t do it alone. We saw through the pandemic the most remarkable acts of volunteerism.”
David Piccini
“It really is a community effort, and I’m very fortunate to work closely alongside MP Lawrence [and] a remarkable set of municipal leaders who are here today who are constantly driving forward the needs of an ever-growing Northumberland County,” continued Piccini. “Phil was always there to pick up the phone to bring the right ministers to bear and I can’t thank you enough, Phil, for your hard work.”
“We’re on the heels of Budget 2022, a plan to build Ontario that focuses on two core themes: building and investing in key infrastructure and working for workers,” said Piccini. “And this announcement today really speaks to a lot of that. The green infrastructure stream: for too long, growth has been followed by critical infrastructure. No longer. In the province of Ontario, we’re gonna get it done and build critical infrastructure to support growth to support these communities for reliable access to clean drinking water.”
“Across the province funds will be targeted towards projects that address critical health and safety and communities with the highest need for funding,” continued Piccini. “It’ll support critical water infrastructure, our First Nations, local service boards operating in communities with populations of under 100,000 people. Because rural Ontario matters, rural Ontario matters to this government.”
Cobourg is receiving $1,995,004 from the Federal Government and $1,662,337 from the Province. President and CEO of Lakefront Utilities Services Derek Paul said, “Our project relates to the replacement of the existing forty-plus year-old, end-of-life Victoria Street elevated water tank. And that tank provides approximately 1,300 cubic metres of water storage in Zone One of our drinking water system, and it’s being replaced by a much larger elevated tank further east of Cobourg.”
John Henderson
“This project builds on our Water Master Plan, which identified the tank as in need of major repairs or replacement,” added Paul.
Dereck Paul
Cobourg Mayor John Henderson said, “The sizable investment means there will be little to no impact on the Cobourg taxpayer, with a total build out of approximately $7.2 million…. It’s a winning outcome for all stakeholders, including our ratepayers, local trades, and aids in attracting new commercial businesses to our great community in Cobourg.”
The project, Henderson said, will be “providing efficient water service to our community, certainly well beyond 2034.”
Brighton is receiving $1,174,154 from the Federal Government and $978,363 from the Province. Mayor Brian Ostrander said, “This funding will help us repair replace a almost century-old watermain in the west end of our Main Street – a cast iron watermain, if you can imagine – it’s a $3 million investment in Brighton, almost three quarters of which is being funded by the federal and provincial governments.”
Brian Ostrander
“It will not just allow safe clean drinking water to flow to that west end of our community, but it also allows for sustainable firefighting in a growth area of our community,” added Ostrander.
For Port Hope, Ontario is providing a grant of $1,370,279 and the Federal Government $1,644,500. Mayor Bob Sanderson said, “The ‘green stream’ funding success for Port Hope means the replacement of a water standpipe with a brand-new water tower for our community.”
Bob Sanderson
Rather than repair an existing, inadequate water tower, Sanderson said, “This funding allows us to remove the existing standpipe and erect a new water tower with greater capacity in Zone One with good watermain connectivity at an ideal location…. Port Hope is growing, and this new water tank storage facility will address the future demand and improve water supply.”
Alnwick-Haldimand is replacing and upgrading a well in Grafton; the Province is contributing $572,942 and the Federal Government is contributing $687,006 to the $1.7 million project. Mayor Gail Latchford said, “To be successful with green stream funding, in partnership with our federal provincial governments all working in unison, is how our needs in rural Ontario are better able to be accomplished.”
Bob Crate
Trent Hills is receiving $689,287 from the Province and $827,227 from the Federal Government. Mayor Bob Crate said, “We know that investing in clean, green infrastructure is not only economically something to do, but the right thing to ensure future generations are able to enjoy healthy and sustainable communities in our county – and our county is growing.”
“These Investing in Canada Infrastructure Projects,” said Crate, “will go a long way towards helping to increase our resilience to the effects of climate change and to ensure it Northumberland families have access to modern services that improve our quality of life.”
“For Trent hills, and especially the village of Hastings, the new transmission pipeline will provide sufficient flows and provide the safety of additional lines supplied to the Southside residents eliminating any potential interruptions. It will ensure the needed water pressure at hydrants for firefighters on call; it will also provide sufficient drinking water capacity for the community.”
For more information about the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, visit infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-pic-INFC-eng.html?wbdisable=true.
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