Government of Canada Announces $50 Million Ontario Potable Water Program

OTTAWA, Ontario, February 15, 2008 — Guy Lauzon, MP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, today announced the Government of Canada is providing up to an additional $50 million to assist municipalities which faced economic challenges related to the implementation of their existing federally funded drinking water projects.

Funding under the Ontario Potable Water Program (OPWP) will be available to Ontario municipalities that have previously received federal funding for water projects under the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP), and that have incurred additional costs for their projects to comply with changes to provincial drinking water regulations.

"The Government of Canada recognizes the economic challenges faced by some Ontario municipalities to fund additional costs for drinking water projects, due to provincial regulatory changes," said Minister Clement. "This program addresses some of those financial pressures and enables these communities to respond to local economic development opportunities."

"Strong, safe, modern communities are essential building blocks for Canada's competitiveness and long-term prosperity," said MP Lauzon. "Initiatives such as this potable water program ensure our communities continue to grow as vibrant and productive places, while providing Canadians with a quality of life that is second to none."

Ontario municipalities with water system projects funded under COIP in order to comply with provincial drinking water regulations will be contacted directly by Industry Canada officials to confirm their interest in and eligibility for OPWP funding. Further information is available in the program backgrounder.

For more information, please contact:

Erik Waddell
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
613-957-0200

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502

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Backgrounder
Ontario Potable Water Program (OPWP)

The Ontario Potable Water Program (OPWP) makes funding available to municipalities that have experienced increased costs for their Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP) water projects to comply with changes to Ontario drinking water regulations. This one-time investment of up to $50 million will enable these municipalities to respond to economic development opportunities and help rebuild community capacity. The OPWP is being administered by Industry Canada.

Eligibility

Ontario municipalities are eligible for OPWP funding if:

• they have completed a COIP drinking water project;
• they have incurred increased project costs to comply with changes to provincial drinking water regulations; and
• their COIP project has been renominated by the Government of Ontario for consideration of additional federal government support.

Application

Ontario municipalities with COIP drinking water projects will be contacted directly by Industry Canada officials within the next few days to confirm their project status and eligibility for OPWP funding. Municipalities with completed projects will be asked to submit an OPWP application form and confirm final COIP project cost details.

Assessment

OPWP support will be based on the federal share of project cost increases resulting from changes to provincial drinking water regulations. These cost increases will be adjusted to exclude inflation.

Industry Canada officials will work as quickly as possible to complete the application and assessment process for eligible municipalities.

For more information on the OPWP, please contact Christine Cosgrove at 416-952-4048.