August 26, 2009

WEST ELGIN — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today to mark the opening of the new and improved West Elgin Water Treatment Plant. Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London; Steve Peters, Member of Provincial Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London; and Graham Warwick, Mayor of the Municipality of West Elgin and Chair of the Tri County Water Management Committee, are pleased to see this important Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) project reach completion. 

Work on this project involved the replacement of the existing water treatment plant, which now includes advanced membrane filtration technology; and extending new water mains to service areas previously relying on shallow wells. 

“When we invest in water infrastructure, we invest in the health and safety of our community,” said MP Preston. “Thanks to work on this project, West Elgin residents will benefit from advanced and reliable water treatment services.”

“Safe, reliable infrastructure is essential to every community,” said MPP Peters. “This new water treatment plant will help protect the environment and provide residents with access to clean drinking water.”

“Our municipality is excited to officially open the new and improved West Elgin Water Treatment Plant,” said Mayor Warwick. “These improvements will ensure a secure supply of the highest quality water for generations to come, benefiting the economy, the environment, and the quality of life for the families of the Tri-county area.”

The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario each committed up to $9,797,985 to the project. The Municipality of West Elgin committed the balance of the project’s total eligible cost of $21,773,300.

Under the COMRIF program, the governments of Canada and Ontario are working together with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and local partners to respond to local needs through infrastructure upgrades providing clean, safe drinking water, better sewage systems, improved waste management processes, safer local roads and bridges, as well as other health and safety priorities.

For further information on the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, please visit www.comrif.ca.