The communities of Happy Adventure and Hare Bay will undertake improvements to their municipal water systems, thanks to federal and provincial contributions made under the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF).

"Canada's new government is helping to ensure that our municipalities have modern equipment to provide their residents with clean, safe water," 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."

"We are pleased to support upgrades to municipal water systems which will ensure that essential water services are improved for communities," stated the Honourable Jack Byrne, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. "The infrastructure investments in Happy Adventure and Hare Bay will ensure efficient, reliable water systems are in place and are positive investments to secure services."

The Town of Happy Adventure will upgrade its municipal water treatment system with a contribution of $21,790. The project involves the installation of a second chlorination system to provide better control of disinfecting the water supply when the fish plant is in operation. The federal government will provide $7,263 for the project, while the provincial share will be $10,242, with the municipality providing the remaining $4,285.

The Town of Hare Bay will install a new pump house with a contribution of $895,849. The federal government will provide $298,616 for the project, while the provincial share will be $421,049, with the municipality providing the remaining $176,184. The Hare Bay pumphouse and associated equipment, which supplies water to both the Town of Hare Bay and the Town of Dover, will be replaced with a new 1,200 square feet facility. The new equipment includes new pumping system and controls, a chlorination system, an inline filtering system and a diesel generator. The project also includes an upgrade to the access road.

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.