Municipal Affairs and Environment
May 19, 2017

Provincial Government Announces Funding for Upgrades to St. John’s Water System

Today, Graham Letto, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Eddie Joyce, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, and the Honourable Dale Kirby, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and MHA for Mount Scio, were joined by Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and His Worship Dennis O’Keefe, Mayor of the City of St. John’s, to announce more than $5.5 million in joint federal-provincial funding for the second phase of the Portugal Cove Road water transmission main replacement project in St. John’s.

The Federal Government is contributing up to $2,652,573 to this project, while the Provincial Government is providing $2,918,387. The City of St. John’s will provide the remainder of the funding towards the total project cost of $8,776,146.

Work involves replacing the aging water transmission main between New Cove Road and First Avenue, and installing a new underground pressure reducing station at the intersection of Portugal Cove Road and New Cove Road.

Residents will benefit from reduced service outages and traffic disruptions caused by breakages in the water main. The replacement of this critical stretch will also improve the efficiency and reliability of water transmission from the Windsor Lake water treatment facility to residences in the east end, city centre and downtown areas of St. John’s.

Quotes
“Our government’s investment in this shared project demonstrates our priority to assist municipalities in providing clean drinking water systems. The Portugal Cove Road water transmission main replacement is a critical project that will directly benefit residents and businesses of St. John’s. We continue to work with federal and municipal partners to contribute to maintaining safe and sustainable communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Eddie Joyce
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment

“These vital investments to modernize St. John’s water infrastructure reflect the Government of Canada’s commitment to building sustainable communities that meet people’s needs now and into the future. We will continue working in close collaboration with our partners to ensure we make smart infrastructure investments that help protect the environment and preserve public health, while paving the way for economic development that creates good jobs and strengthens the middle class.”
Nick Whalen
Member of Parliament for St. John's East, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“Providing clean drinking water is vital for the health and safety of our community. The city has committed over $3 million for the installation of two new water mains along Portugal Cove Road. These upgrades will benefit residents and create new employment opportunities for the local economy. I thank our federal and provincial government partners for their financial support.”
Dennis O’Keefe
Mayor, City of St. John's

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Learn more
Government of Canada’s $180-billion+ infrastructure plan in Budget 2017: www.budget.gc.ca/2017/docs/plan/chap-02-en.html#Toc477707375

Federal infrastructure investments in Newfoundland and Labrador: www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/index-eng.html .

New Building Canada Fund – Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component National and Regional Projects: www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nrp-pnr-prog-eng.html

Provincial 2017-2018 Municipal Capital Works and Cost-Shared Funding Programs: www.mae.gov.nl.ca/capital_works/proposed.html

City of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador: Stjohns.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL  and @MAE_GovNL

Media contacts
Lynn Robinson
Municipal Affairs and Environment
709-729-5449, 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca

Brook Simpson
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
613-219-0149
Brook.Simpson@canada.ca

Kelly Maguire
Media Relations
City of St. John's
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca

Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
media@infc.gc.ca
Twitter: @INFC_eng
Web: Infrastructure Canada

2017 05 19                              1:55 p.m.