The Village of McCreary will benefit from an infrastructure project jointly announced today by the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba. Funding of $78,000 to renew sewer lines through the Canada-Manitoba Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF). The project is based on equal contributions from the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba, and the local municipality.

The announcement was made today by Russ Hiebert, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification; and Drew Caldwell, Brandon East MLA, on behalf of the Honourable Ron Lemieux, Minister of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation.

“The Government of Canada is committed to working in partnership to create strong and healthy rural communities like the Village of McCreary,” said Parliamentary Secretary Hiebert 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 joint investment of $78,000 will have direct and long-lasting impacts on the local community. The relining technology used will help to avoid extensive street reconstruction costs and extend the life of the sewer line by over 20 years.”

“This support will see renewals and upgrades to the local water lines which will improve the system for residents of McCreary,” said Caldwell.

The Village of McCreary, located 80 km northwest of Dauphin, will benefit from $78,000 to renew their sewer lines. This project will extend the life of the sewer lines for several decades and will improve the wastewater collection performance and prevent failure of the lines.

This new green infrastructure project is part of $11 million being announced this fall to improve drinking water and to enhance the environment in rural and northern communities by upgrading the quality of water and management of water, wastewater, and solid waste. These rounds of announcements are based on recommendations from the MRIF Rural/Northern Federal Provincial Local Consultative Committee (FPLCC). The FPLCC consists of local government representatives from the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) and the Northern Association of Community Councils. The FPLCC was created to provide local input and knowledge in the MRIF project selection process in Rural and Northern Manitoba.

“The AMM is pleased to be a part of a successful partnership bringing much-needed infrastructure investments to Manitoba communities,” said Ron Bell, AMM President. “The sewer relining project being announced today is a sound investment that will save the Village of McCreary extensive street reconstruction costs. The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund has made a significant contribution to our members' infrastructure needs and I look forward to seeing more funds dedicated to these types of projects in the future.”

“Core infrastructure like wastewater systems are crucial to the overall health of rural and northern communities,” said Reg Meade, President of the Northern Association of Community Councils (NACC). “The NACC recognizes that this infrastructure project is an investment in a more prosperous future for local residents and future generations.”

The initial Canada-Manitoba MRIF agreement invested a total of $120 million in communities across Manitoba. This year, an additional $25 million is being provided to MRIF through matching funds from the governments of Canada, Manitoba and local contributions as part of the commitment to help small communities meet their pressing infrastructure needs. This additional funding will bring the total federal and provincial investment and matching local contribution in MRIF Manitoba projects to $145 million.

Of the funds, 80 per cent are earmarked for communities with a population under 250,000, including 198 municipalities and 50 unincorporated Northern Community Councils in rural and northern Manitoba. The remaining 20 per cent of funds are awarded to communities with populations over 250,000.

More information on Canada and Manitoba infrastructure projects are available at: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/ and http://www.infrastructure.mb.ca/.

For additional information, contact:

Jana Lerner
Communications Coordinator
Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Secretariat
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 945-8778
Toll-Free: 1-800-268-4883
http://www.infrastructure.mb.ca/

David Meister,
Communications Officer
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 983-0789

John Thorpe
Communications Coordinator
Government of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 945-4997
http://www.gov.mb.ca/