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NLIS 5
May 9, 2001
(Municipal and Provincial Affairs)


The following statement was issued today by Oliver Langdon, Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Funding to address provincial water quality

I rise in the house today to advise members of the initiatives that the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs has taken toward providing infrastructure and training to enhance water quality in this province.

Two days ago, $1.8 million was announced to be spent this year to install or upgrade municipal water disinfection systems through the Municipal Capital Works program and the Canada-Newfoundland Infrastructure Program, as part of the province's $11 million multi-year commitment to address water disinfection problems. 

I am pleased to report that this has now been increased to $2.1 million. We are providing 100 per cent funding, up to a maximum of $100,000, to help communities currently on boil water advisories. It is expected that 24 communities will benefit from this allocation. As of yesterday, all qualified applications in this category were approved.

In addition, since September 2000, 38 small communities have received funding in the amount of $236,115 under special assistance to address and subsequently improve their water quality.

Our commitment to improving water in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador does not end there. Additional projects of approximately $15.5 million will also address water quality issues including seven water treatment systems. In total, $17.7 million will be invested through the cooperation of the provincial, federal, and municipal governments this year toward water quality projects. These projects will assist 98 communities and a population exceeding 147,000 people. We anticipate this $17.7 million spent on water quality enhancement projects should result in a substantial reduction in the boil orders currently in effect. 

In the recent budget, it was announced that the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs will be hiring three chlorination technicians. The western technician will also be responsible for Labrador. These individuals will be responsible for assisting municipalities in the operation and maintenance of chlorination systems, as well as on site training of municipal operators and assisting in the development of proposals for funding from the provincial government if required. They will also recommend and provide monetary assistance for additional training and the purchase of chlorination monitoring kits for municipalities who require them.

The Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs has also made an arrangement to provide $100,000 to assist municipalities to attend training sessions sponsored by the Municipal Training and Development Corporation. This is a partnership is between the department, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Municipal Administrators and the Combined Councils of Labrador. It is expected that a significant portion of this funding will go toward water quality related training. Furthermore, if $100,000 is not enough, I will find additional funding from my department's existing allocation, because this is a high priority.

All of these projects and initiatives are positive steps toward government's efforts to improving the quality of water and indeed the quality of life for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

2001 05 09                                                3:00 p.m.


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