The Village of Vanscoy is upgrading its water distribution system with the help of funding from the federal and provincial governments.
The $2 million project includes expansion of the existing water treatment plant, as well as adding more reservoir capacity, upgrading the pumping equipment, controls, backup power generation and distribution piping network.
The project is one of 23 ‘green and recreation infrastruture projects’ approved for Saskatchewan communities under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Progrma (ICIP). Under the program, costs are shared by the municipal, provincial and federal governments.
The Vanscoy water system project is expected to cost $2,045,000. The federal share is $818,000, the province is kicking in $681,599, and the village is contributing $545,401.
The approval of the Vanscoy infrastructure project was unveiled on Wednesday, June 23.
by Jim Carr, Minister and Special Representative for the Prairies, on behalf of Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Saskatchewan’s Government Relations Minister Don McMorris.
A total of $81.2 million in joint funding is earmarked for 23 infrastructure projects across the province. In addition to Vanscoy, Esterhazy, Unity, and Meadow Lake will also benefit from improved access to reliable potable water services. Wastewater treatment facilities will be upgraded and expanded in Humboldt, Oxbow and Grenfell. Other communities will benefit from projects that deal with the decommissioning of landfills or flood prevention projects. Recreation projects include upgrades to the Rexentre Arena in Fort Qu’Appelle used by many communities in the area.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $44.3 million in these projects. For projects requiring consultations with Indigenous groups, funding is conditional on all consultation requirements being met.
The Government of Saskatchewan is also contributing over $36.9 million toward these projects. Contributions by recipients toward their respective projects are $29.5 million. In total, this represents a combined infrastructure investment of more than $110.7 million.
Funding recipients are responsible for any additional project costs.
“The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to invest more than $36 million to support upgrades to water and wastewater systems, improve recreational facilities and decommission historic landfills to safeguard the environment,” McMorris said. “These infrastructure projects will help protect local economies, which are continuing to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end, the ICIP program and these projects across the province are building better, stronger and safer communities for the future of Saskatchewan.”