Residents of three Central Alberta municipalities are the latest to benefit from a federal-provincial infrastructure program.
Ponoka’s water treatment system, Alix’s aging downtown and Blackfalds’s overburdened sewage lift station will all be improved with a shot of government funding.
The Town of Ponoka will be completing a $720,000 upgrade on its existing waste water treatment system and raising lagoon berms to protect against possible flooding. The provincial and federal governments are each investing $240,000 toward the project and the town is making up the balance.
Wetaskiwin MP Blaine Calkins said the joint investment will help keep the community healthy and sustainable, as well as providing jobs and economic stimulus.
The Village of Alix is embarking on a $2.5-million project to create a “green corridor” of park and leisure space and to improve aging infrastructure on Main Street and Railway Avenue. The federal and provincial governments will each provide $823,400 of funding and the municipality will make up the balance.
Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Ray Prins said village residents should be pleased with the infrastructure upgrades, as well as the green corridor in the heart of the village, which will provide new recreational and tourism opportunities.
The Town of Blackfalds is completing upgrades to the town’s sewage lift station at a total cost of $4.7 million. The federal and provincial governments are each contributing $1.6 million and the town is making up the rest.
The recent population surge in Blackfalds has overburdened the town’s aging sewage system, “but this investment will ensure capacity is restored,” said Prins.
The projects are among dozens getting underway across Alberta because of a federal-provincial infrastructure investment of more than $444 million. Close to $175 million of this was contributed for 96 municipal projects in communities fewer than 100,000 residents.
For more information about the Building Canada program, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca