Residents of Saskatchewan to benefit from recreational facility upgrades, improved water and wastewater infrastructure, and clean energy projects

REGINA, SK, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadians everywhere have felt the impact of COVID-19 on their families, their livelihoods, and their way of life. Canada and Saskatchewan have worked together to ensure health and safety, support families and businesses, and sustain local economies. Investments in Saskatchewan's infrastructure during this extraordinary time provide an opportunity to make communities more sustainable and resilient in the long run, and to further develop our renewable energy resources.

Today, the Honourable Jim Carr, the Prime Minister's Special Representative for the Prairies, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Don McMorris, Saskatchewan's Minister of Government Relations, announced more than $53 million in joint funding for 24 recreation and green infrastructure projects in Saskatchewan.   

Recreation infrastructure projects include improvements to arenas, swimming pools and outdoor facilities, which will give residents of all ages access to safe, modern, and ecofriendly facilities to stay active and interact with other community members.

Two solar energy projects, including the Awasis Solar Project on land owned by Cowessess First Nation southeast of Regina, will supply clean energy directly to the Saskatchewan electrical grid. SaskPower is also set to implement a battery energy storage project that will help balance the power system during power demand spikes and support intermittent generation options such as wind and solar.

Moreover, investments in water and wastewater infrastructure in several Saskatchewan municipalities will improve capacity to meet current and future demand while ensuring continued compliance with provincial and federal regulations.

Providing communities with reliable, ecofriendly, and sustainable infrastructure is a shared priority for both governments. The Government of Canada is investing more than $31.1 million in these 24 projects through the Investing in Canada plan, with the Government of Saskatchewan providing over $22.7 million. Contributions by recipients toward their respective projects are more than $7.2 million.

Quotes

"From swimming pools to solar projects, the Government of Canada is taking actions to support families, businesses, and the economy in Saskatchewan and across the country now, so that we can build resilient communities for years to come. The funding announced today will help communities build back better, create jobs, and build cleaner, more inclusive communities."

The Honourable Jim Carr, Prime Minister's Special Representative for the Prairies, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"The Government of Saskatchewan is investing more than $22.7 million toward these important projects, which will improve recreational facilities, upgrade water systems, support renewable energy and help protect the environment. It's infrastructure that will help build better communities, create jobs, and improve quality of life for those who call this great province home."

The Honourable Don McMorris, Saskatchewan's Minister of Government Relations

"Cowessess First Nation strives to be an economic self-sustaining partner in the growth of the province and Country. This goal becomes a reality when the plan includes investment from the government. As the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action provide us all direction to bridge the gap, Cowessess First Nation will help this province and country in renewable energy to assure our seven generations ahead may have a sustainable place to call home."

Chief Cadmus Delorme, Cowessess First Nation

"Our community appreciates the funding commitments from the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan to help make our wastewater project a reality. This is an important project for Ogema, as it will help position our town for growth. Without this federal and provincial support, funding this project by ourselves as a community would've been challenging."

Her Worship Carol Peterson, Mayor of the Town of Ogema

Quick facts

• Through the Investing in Canada plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
• In Saskatchewan, Infrastructure Canada has invested more than $721 million in over 400 infrastructure projects under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

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Backgrounder

Residents of Saskatchewan to benefit from recreational facility upgrades, improved water and wastewater infrastructure, and clean energy projects

Funding through the Investing in Canada plan will support 24 infrastructure projects in Saskatchewan. The Government of Canada is investing more than $31.1 million in these projects, with the Government of Saskatchewan providing over $22.7 million. Contributions by recipients toward their respective projects are more than $7.2 million. In total, this represents a combined infrastructure investment of more than $61 million. Funding recipients are responsible for any additional project costs.

Recreation infrastructure projects funded under the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream

Location	Project Name	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding	Municipal / Other Funding
Indian Head, Town of	Swimming Pool Renovation	Build a new outdoor swimming pool, with a lap pool, leisure pool, waterslide feature and beach entry area.	$704,813	$587,285	$469,934
Pense, Village of	Arena Flooring and Piping Upgrades	Replace the brine piping system in both the skating arena and curling rink and install a new flooring base.	$342,440	$285,338	$228,322
Rockglen, Town of	Rinks Plant Project	Combine the skating and curling rink ice together as one plant and update the safety controls, brine pumps, and condenser.	$176,000	$146,650	$117,348
Sturgeon Lake, First Nations of	Children's Playgrounds	Install accessible, safe and modern playground equipment for youth.	$223,951	$74,650	$0
Turtleford, Town of	Spray and Play	Build an outdoor recreational facility.	$63,000	$52,495	$42,005
Watson, Town of	McNab Regional Park Authority Clubhouse Renovation	Replace the existing shower house according to the highest accessibility an environmental standards, and install a high- efficiency furnace and on-demand water heaters, floor heat, LED lighting and appropriate ventilation.	$99,514	$82,920	$66,351
Willow Bunch No. 42, Rural Municipality of	Swimming Pool Showerhouse Revitalization-- Jean Louis Legare Regional Park Authority	Renovate the existing shower house building.	$32,000	$26,664	$21,336
Total federal, provincial and municipal / other funding			$1,641,718	$1,256,002	$945,296

Drinking water, waste water, solid waste management, and clean energy projects funded under the Green Infrastructure Stream

Location	Project Name	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding	Municipal / Other Funding
Balcarres, Town of	New Well Project	Construct two new wells and replace raw water pipeline.	$392,000	$326,634	$261,366
Britannia No. 502, Rural Municipality of	Greenstreet Lagoon Expansion	Increase capacity of the lagoon cells and meet effluent limits.	$237,150	$197,606	$158,120
Ceylon, Village of	Water Treatment Plant Upgrades	Install a new mechanical piping and filtration system and new distribution pumps to meet current demand.	$119,721	$99,757	$79,824
Cowessess First Nation	SaskPower - Awasis 10MW Solar Interconnection	Connect the Awasis Solar Project to the provincial electrical grid.	$1,702,500	*$1,702,500	$0
Edenwold No. 158, Rural Municipality of	Awasis Solar – 10 MW Project	Implement the Awasis Solar Project.	$3,500,000	$0	$1,166,667
Frontier, Village of	Landfill Decommissioning	Conduct  environmental site assessments, and decommission the landfill.	$408,568	$340,439	$272,413
Lakeland No. 521, Rural Municipality of	McPhee Lake Landfill Cover	Provide final cover for the landfill and return the site to a vegetated area.	$141,308	$117,745	$94,217
Macklin, Town of	Cast Iron Water Main Replacement	Replace the current cast iron water main lines and replace them with PVC lines.	$791,502	$659,519	$527,734
Ogema, Town of	Wastewater Infrastructure Upgrades	Upgrade the wastewater infrastructure including the construction of new cells, sewage force main, sewage lift station, effluent irrigation system, reject water discharge line, and associated works.	$1,125,200	$937,573	$750,227
Pilger, Village of	Treatment Plant Upgrade	Install a reverse osmosis filtration system, chemical feed system, distribution piping, and perform associated electrical, mechanical, and civil works.	$170,400	$141,986	$113,614
Porcupine Plain, Town of	Landfill Closure -- Porcupine Regional Waste Management Authority	Decommission and close the existing municipal landfill site.	$60,251	$50,204	$40,173
Regina, City of	SaskPower - Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	Implement a project that will help balance the power system during power demand spikes and support intermittent generation options such as wind and solar.	$13,114,675	*$13,114,675	$0
Saltcoats, Town of	Landfill Corrective Action and Closure	Prepare and implement a corrective action and closure plan, including grading, cap barrier and topsoil placement.	$76,840	$64,027	$51,233
Spiritwood, Town of	Sewage Pumping Station Replacements	Decommission and replace two sewage pumping stations.	$844,800	$703,930	$563,270
Weyburn No. 67, Rural Municipality of	Pesâkâstêw Solar Project	Implement the Pesâkâstêw Solar Project	$3,500,000	$0	$1,166,667
Weyburn No. 67, Rural Municipality of	SaskPower - Pesâkâstêw 10MW Solar Interconnection	Connect the Pesâkâstêw Solar Project to the provincial electrical grid	$1,695,000	*$1,695,000	$0
Wynyard, Town of	Cast Iron Water Mains Replacement	Replace the current cast iron water mains and associated works.	$1,586,084	$1,321,604	$1,057,522
Total federal, provincial and municipal / other funding			$29,465,999	$21,473,199	$6,303,047

*Provincial portion funded by SaskPower, a provincial Crown corporation in Saskatchewan.

Associated links

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Federal infrastructure investments in Saskatchewan
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-sk-eng.html 

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 613-941-0660, [email protected]; Dan Palmer, Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations, Communications, 306-787-7151, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca