Residents in the Village of Chase will benefit from improvements to the wastewater collection system, thanks to an investment of $489,000 from the federal and provincial governments, Colin Mayes, Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap, and Kevin Krueger, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, announced today.

“The Government of Canada is working in partnership with the Province of British Columbia to build safe and sustainable communities through the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund,” said Mr. Mayes on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. “This project will improve the reliability of Chase’s wastewater system and protect the health of the community and environment by reducing potential leaks.”

The Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CBCMRIF) contribution will improve the reliability of Chase’s wastewater collection system by replacing two old lift stations with one larger lift station, installing force and gravity mains, and adding an emergency generator. This project is conditionally approved pending the completion of an environmental assessment.

"This upgrade in Chase is an example of how B.C. is leading the world in sustainable environmental management,” said Mr. Krueger. “We are pleased to partner with the federal government and the Village of Chase to make this project a reality.”

Under the initial CBCMRIF Agreement signed in June 2006, the federal and provincial governments each committed $51 million to the fund, with participating local governments expected to make up the remaining costs. This year, the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C. have each provided an additional $23.5 million to the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund as part of their commitment to help smaller communities meet their pressing infrastructure needs. This additional funding brings the total federal and provincial investment, with matching local government contribution in CBCMRIF projects, to over $220 million.

The majority of the funding is targeted towards communities of fewer than 250,000 people, and at least 60 per cent of the funding will assist with “green projects” such as drinking water supply, treatment and distribution needs, as well as wastewater and energy efficiency projects. The remaining funds will be dedicated to other projects such as tourism, recreation and other infrastructure.

More details on the program are available through the Canada-British Columbia Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund website, at www.th.gov.bc.ca/CBMRIF/index.htm.

For additional information, contact:

Tom Wakefield
Western Economic Diversification Canada
(604) 666-2445

Marc Black
B.C. Ministry of Community Services
(250) 356-6334