City of Cranbrook residents will now benefit from improved wastewater services and a cleaner environment, thanks to significant upgrades made to the city’s wastewater system.

Federal, provincial and municipal representatives were on hand June 8 to celebrate the completion of this project that involved the installation of two new disinfection facilities, a new phosphorus removal facility, a new lined storage pond, a new aeration system, and the construction of nearly four kilometres of large-diameter pipeline to a permanent new outfall structure in the Kootenay River. The outfall structure will enable the controlled discharge of high-quality-treated effluent to the Kootenay River, improving the health and safety of local citizens and protecting the environment.

“These wastewater infrastructure upgrades are great news for the community and our environment,” said David Wilks, Member of Parliament for Kootenay–Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “I am pleased that this project created local jobs and will support the long-term health and well-being of families, residents and workers in Cranbrook.”

“In resolving to improve the city’s wastewater processing, Cranbrook demonstrates its commitment to sustainability, and its determination to make this happen by engaging funding partners,” said Bill Bennett, MLA for Kootenay East.

“I would like to express my sincere thank you to the federal and provincial governments for partnering with us on this important project,” said Wayne Stetski, Mayor of the City of Cranbrook. “The citizens of Cranbrook look forward to many more cost sharing initiatives in the future to repair or replace our aging infrastructure. I would also like to express my appreciation to city staff for their hard work in securing the co-operative funding and for delivering on the much needed upgrades.”

The governments of Canada and British Columbia contributed over $4.8 million each through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. The City of Cranbrook contributed the remaining $4.8 million toward the total eligible project costs of $14.4 million.

As part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund supported more than 4,100 infrastructure projects across the country, including more than 440 key infrastructure projects in British Columbia.

Investing in infrastructure is a key part of the Government of Canada’s plan to create jobs, generate economic growth and ensure long-term prosperity. Thanks to the Government of Canada’s leadership, and our strong economic and financial fundamentals, the Canadian economy has recovered from the global recession better than most other countries.

Canada has been a leader among G-7 countries throughout the recovery with more than 750,000 net new jobs created since July 2009.

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