Federal-provincial grants towards unglamorous but important infrastructure projects in Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) were announced last Saturday at a ceremony at Gibsons municipal hall.
B.C. Minister of Community Services Ida Chong and Abbotsford MP Ed Fast (appearing on behalf of Minister of Western Economic Diversification Rona Ambrose) were both on hand to announce the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) grants. Each level of government bears one third of the cost of projects applied for under the MRIF.
Water quality and fire safety both stand to be improved in Gibsons thanks to a grant of nearly $900,000 towards a $1.3 million project the Town applied for nearly three years ago.
"If you ask anybody what a major issue in Gibsons is, nine out of 10 people will say 'water'," said Mayor Barry Janyk to the gallery, which included all of Gibsons council and three regional district directors.
The project will enable the Town to build a 1,500 cubic metre reservoir, install and upgrade water mains and pressure-reducing valve stations, and upgrade a pumping station. It will help the Town save water by reducing the need to flush its water system, Janyk said.
"We'll isolate two of our zones to increase pressure to the fire hydrants," he said. "This is a wise investment."
Fast noted the Town's "been very aggressive in bringing this project forward," while Chong commended Town staff for putting together a solid application.
The SCRD is getting $115,000 towards implementing their $175,000 capital asset management system to help keep track of ageing assets. The funding will help the regional district develop business procedures and train staff and also to buy the Cartograph software system needed to maintain and improve infrastructure in the long term.
Treasurer Joan Merrick said the application was made over a year ago, and staff had the support of the SCRD board to move ahead with the purchase had funding not come through.
"This saves us money. It will allow us to enter all out assets in detail, things like our fleet, water and facilities," Merrick said. "There are ways to manage without it, but this just makes it so much easier for our staff."
Board chair Ed Steeves said the system will also help the regional district plan to meet its greenhouse gas reduction commitments under the Climate Action Charter that arose from last September's Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.
"While that might not sound as exciting as clean water, that too is important," added Chong. In total, 330 applications were made to the $219-million Canada-B.C. MRIF fund, which was first announced in 2006. Funding requests outstripped available money by about five to six times, said Chong. Fast spoke of the Conservative federal government's commitment towards infrastructure, exemplified by the seven-year, $33-billion Build Canada fund.
"Without infrastructure, we won't have national prosperity in the long term," he said. Fast noted the Gas Tax fund - a federal source of project money for Canadian municipalities -was made permanent last February. Both he and Chong highlighted the fact that the Gas Tax allows federal dollars to flow straight to municipalities, without provincial interference.
"I hope on my next return, we'll see some of these projects completed," Chong said.
