The Columbia Shuswap Regional District will receive $1.4 million joint federal-provincial Building Canada fund to improve the Sorrento water system from the governments of Canada and British Columbia. The project includes improvements to the existing reservoirs, such as standby power for the intake and water treatment plant, plus a water main, installation of new intake pipe and a UV disinfection system. It is estimated that the investment will create 21 direct and indirect jobs.
This project will ensure public health and safety through a multi-barrier, sustainable approach for providing safe drinking water.
This project is an example of the commitment of both governments to strengthen the British Columbia economy by reducing red tape, creating jobs and getting shovels in the ground sooner.
“We have taken steps to get shovels in the ground and create jobs in the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons,” said Colin Mayes, Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap. “Infrastructure projects in communities across British Columbia are moving forward thanks to this joint federal-provincial investment of over $110 million. And this is just the beginning.”
“These upgrades provide our residents with fresh, clean drinking water,” said Shuswap Member of Legislative Assembly George Abbott. “I am glad to see that Sorrento will have these much needed facility upgrades which invest in the sustainable growth of the community.”
“We are pleased that responsibility for Sorrento’s waterworks can now be transferred to the regional district,” said Columbia Shuswap Regional District chair Marty Bootsma. “These infrastructure improvements will mean increased confidence in the water system for residents, and safer development prospects for the future.”
This project is one of 41 projects across the province that will break ground quickly thanks to a joint federal-provincial investment of $110 million. Together with local government contributions, the total investment in local infrastructure improvements in British Columbia during this first intake exceeds $175 million.
The governments of Canada and British Columbia have taken steps to get shovels in the ground and to flow money faster for targeted infrastructure projects in British Columbia communities in the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons.