The Town of Lewisporte will undertake improvements to its municipal water and sewer systems, thanks to federal and provincial contributions made under the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF).

The $319,577 project will include installation and upgrades to three parts of the town � Second Avenue, Church Street and First Avenue � to improve water and waste water services to a total of 78 households. Funding for this project will include $106,526 from the federal government, $128,895 from the province and $84,156 from the municipality.

"Canada's new government is helping to ensure that our municipalities are able to replace and upgrade aging water and sewer distribution and collection systems which will increase water quality and improve sewage collection for the residents," said the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "Helping municipalities improve their infrastructure systems has a direct impact on quality of life for families, and our government is pleased to help support these projects in Lewisporte."

"We are pleased with the partnership with our federal and municipal counterparts to support important water and sewer infrastructure improvements for the town of Lewisporte," stated the Honourable Jack Byrne, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. "The installation of new municipal infrastructure will improve efficiencies and eliminate ongoing maintenance issues with an old water system."

The $84 million, six-year Canada-NL MRIF Agreement is administered jointly by the Department of Municipal Affairs on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and ACOA, on behalf of Infrastructure Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities, acting on behalf of communities, helps set the strategic direction of the agreement and identify priorities under the capacity-building component of the agreement.

For more information on MRIF, visit //www.mpa.gov.nl.ca/mpa/mrifa/default.htm or e-mail MRIF@gov.nl.ca. For additional information on this and other infrastructure programs administered by the Government of Canada, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.

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2007 02 15                                                10:10 a.m.