City_of_Timmins-logoResidents of Cochrane, Kapuskasing, Moosonee and Timmins will benefit from important waste water and road improvement projects thanks to joint funding from the Governments of Canada and Ontario through the Small Communities Fund.

The Highway 11 Connecting Link and bridge, between Riverside and de l’Etang will be replaced in Kapuskasing; Railway Street will be reconstructed, from 3rd Avenue to 12th Avenue, in Cochrane; the water and wastewater distribution lines will be replaced in the Mistik/Meechim area in the Town of the Moosonee; and the Whitney-Tisdale Sanitary System will be upgraded in Timmins.

The $1-billion Small Communities Fund provides funding for priority public infrastructure projects that deliver on local needs. Canada and Ontario will each provide $272 million to support projects in communities across the province with fewer than 100,000 residents. This funding will help address local priorities, supporting job creation and economic growth, thus sustaining a high quality of life in small communities across Ontario for years to come.

For the Whitney-Tisdale project, the feds and province will each chip in up to $2,608,073 for this project.  The City of Timmins will be responsible for all remaining costs of the project.

This project will include significant upgrades to the Whitney-Tisdale Sanitary System, including the refurbishment of six existing lift stations, several force mains, and the construction of two storm equalization tanks. Improvements will reduce potential impacts to the environment and residents, extend the lifespan of existing infrastructure, and improve overall operations.

“The scope of the project will re-furbish five 40-year old sewage lift stations and reduce the number of sewage bypass events that have become a common occurrence for this sewage distribution system. The municipality received a Ministry of the Environment Order to remedy this situation by 2017,” says Mayor Steve Black.

“The total investment to be made by the municipality is expected to exceed $16 million. This funding announcement will support our financial commitment of $7.8 million for Phase 2 of this important upgrade.”

The Government of Canada will provide up to $5,782,480 through the Small Communities Fund for these 4 projects.  The Province of Ontario will contribute up to $5,852,587 to these projects.

“We are proud to invest in projects like these that will benefit our community by improving much needed local infrastructure. Our Government’s commitment to municipalities, big and small, has never been stronger,” says Minster of Natural Resources Greg Rickford.

“Through the New Building Canada Plan Small Communities Fund we are investing in priority infrastructure projects that have a strong impact on the quality of life of Ontario’s residents while helping job creation and economic growth.”

Black says he’s thankful for Minister Rickford and Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle, and the work they did to get this money.

“They’re definitely champions for Northern Ontario when it comes to tackling some of our infrastructure challenges,” he added, making mention of the work done by city staff to put together the application for this funding.