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 create good jobs, improve essential public services, and make communities more sustainable and resilient in the long run.
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 announced more than $222.83 million in joint program funding to support an infrastructure rejuvenation project at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant. For the occasion, they were joined by City of Regina Mayor Sandra Masters, City of Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmie; and Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation Chair Dale Schoffer.
The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant, which was commissioned in 1955, supplies potable water to more than 260,000 people living in Regina, Moose Jaw and other communities in the region, which is nearly a quarter of Saskatchewan’s population. Among other works, the renewal project will upgrade the main treatment plant, pump stations and reservoirs. It will rejuvenate this important facility to meet the needs of the region's forecasted potable water demands in the decades ahead.
Under the Investing In Canada Infrastructure Program, the Government of Canada is investing more than $89.13 million, and Indigenous consultation requirements must be met prior to the flow of funds. The Government of Saskatchewan is providing more than $74.26 million toward the project's eligible costs. The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, owned by the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw, is contributing more than $59.42 million under the program, and is responsible for any additional costs.
"The investment, strengthened by more than $89.1 million in federal funding, ensures the citizens of Regina, Moose Jaw, and several other communities will have access to reliable, potable water services for years to come," Carr said. "This is how we build greener, healthier, more resilient communities."
"The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to invest more than $74 million towards the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant Renewal Project," said McMorris. "Investing in this facility will not only create jobs and support the local economy, it will also ensure that Buffalo Pound continues to supply safe, clean drinking water to the hundreds of thousands of Saskatchewan residents and businesses in the Regina and Moose Jaw areas for decades to come."
"The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant Renewal Project invests in the long-term viability of the facility and ensures a safe and reliable source of drinking water for all Regina residents," said Masters. "I thank the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan for their significant contributions through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. This investment will propel both population and economic growth over the next three decades."
"We thank the federal and provincial governments for partnering with the City of Moose Jaw and Regina to renew the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant," said Tolmie. "With these upgrades and our city's installation of the new transmission line to our High Service Reservoir, Moose Javians and surrounding communities can be assured that we will have efficient and effective delivery of safe drinking water. This multimillion-dollar investment eliminates the need for major utility rate increases in the future related to upgrades to the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant."
"I want to thank the federal and provincial governments, and Cities of Regina and Moose Jaw who own the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, for recognizing that this infrastructure renewal is imperative to sustaining the plant into the future," said Schoffer. "Your financial support will enable Regina and Moose Jaw and area residents, and customers of Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant, to access high quality reliable water, for the next 30 years."
Quick facts:
- Through the Investing in Canada plan, the Government of Canada 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.
- $26.9 billion of this funding is supporting green infrastructure in Canadian communities.
- The Government of Canada has invested more than $2 billion toward more than 520 infrastructure projects across Saskatchewan under the Investing in Canada plan.
- To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure.
