Central Newfoundland Waste Management Facility Officially Opens in Norris Arm;
Federal and Provincial Partnership to Benefit Central Region

Communities across central Newfoundland and Labrador are now benefitting from modern and environmentally-sound waste management facilities. Federal and provincial government representatives gathered today to celebrate the official opening of the new Central Newfoundland Waste Management Facility in Norris Arm, as well as seven local waste management facilities throughout the central region.

“It was a pleasure to be in St. John’s yesterday to take part in the first of a series of cross-country roundtable discussions on the development of a new long-term plan for public infrastructure in Canada beyond 2014,” said the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador. “Our Government will continue to support important projects like the Central Newfoundland Waste Management Facility because our new plan will deliver long-term funding to improve infrastructure in Newfoundland, and across Canada.”

“The Provincial Government is pleased to officially open the Central Newfoundland Waste Management Facility here today and to celebrate the continued progress of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy,” said the Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “As a result of investments to date, approximately two-thirds of the province’s population is disposing of waste in one of two lined landfills with leachate collection. Throughout our province we have reduced the number of disposal sites by over 50 per cent and almost 50 per cent of our province’s population already has access to recycling facilities.”

“In the central region of our province, which runs from the community of Terra Nova to Buchans in the west and to Fogo Island in the north, we now have 108 communities on stream and have closed 42 landfill sites,” said Allan Scott, Chair, Central Newfoundland Waste Management. “I would like to acknowledge all of those from throughout the region and provincial representatives who have participated in the planning and construction of this modern waste management system.”

The key element of the project was the construction of a new landfill, which is the first municipal landfill in Newfoundland and Labrador to be lined with composite layers of impermeable material, to keep pollutants from leaking into the soil and water. These pollutants, in the form of landfill leachate, are collected and treated on site to meet strict environmental standards before the water is eventually released back into the environment. The project also included the construction of an administration building, a maintenance garage, public drop off area, construction and demolition disposal area, weigh scales, and roads at the regional site in Norris Arm. Seven local waste management facilities (LWMF), consisting of a transfer station building, public drop off and weigh scales, were built throughout the central region.

The project is part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy that aims to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills in the province and to reduce the number of waste sites in the province.

The total cost of the project is $64.6 million. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has directed $21.3 million of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation toward eligible costs. The remaining $43.3 million was funded by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Municipal Capital Works Program.

Canada’s Gas Tax Fund provides stable, long-term funding to local governments to help them build and revitalize public infrastructure. In December 2011, the Government of Canada passed legislation to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent annual investment of $2 billion per year. The Government of Canada, through the Gas Tax Fund alone, provides over $20.6 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Investing in infrastructure is a key part of the Government of Canada’s plan to create jobs, generate economic growth and ensure long-term prosperity. Over the course of the summer, the Government of Canada will be engaging provinces, territories and stakeholders in a series of roundtables to develop a new long-term infrastructure plan. This plan will focus on investments that support job creation and economic growth, while building strong, prosperous communities across the country. In addition, the Government of Canada will hold a roundtable with national stakeholders and representatives of the private sector at the end of the summer. Working together to develop this plan will provide new opportunities for all orders of government and the private sector to build partnerships to improve public infrastructure in Canada.

The goals of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy are to reduce the amount of materials in provincial landfill sites by 50 per cent, reduce the total number of waste disposal sites by 80 per cent, eliminate open burning of waste at disposal sites and phase-out incinerators, phase out unlined landfills, and encourage residents of Newfoundland and Labrador to participate in waste diversion programs such as recycling and composting. Full implementation of the strategy is scheduled for 2020. A total of $145.3 million has been invested in the Strategy in the province, $82.8 million by the Provincial Government and $62.5 million from Gas Tax funding. In addition, Budget 2012: People and Prosperity included $130 million over two years for new municipal infrastructure projects throughout the province.

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Photo: The Honourable Kevin O'Brien, Minister of Municipal Affairs, and the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, cut the ribbon to officially open the Central Newfoundland Waste Management Facility. They are joined by Allan Scott, Chair, Central Newfoundland Waste Management and the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

For more information on Government of Canada investments in Newfoundland and Labrador, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca . 

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2012 06 29                12:10 p.m.