Stormwater infrastructure in British Columbia receives $29M
On August 12, Canadian officials announced $29 million in funding for three separate stormwater infrastructure projects in the province of British Colombia.
Among the projects approved today, the city of Vancouver will receive $20 million to replace its combined sewer with new separate sewer system to mitigate flooding, reduce sewer overflows into local waters and increase sewer capacity.
The District of North Vancouver will begin its $5 million project to rehabilitate its sewer pipes to reduce the frequency of overflows and reduce system operating costs.
The community of Grant Forks will use $4.5 million to upgrade its downtown stormwater system and incorporate green stormwater infrastructure to address flooding and improve runoff management.
The announcement of the stormwater funding comes as part of a wider announcement for $110 million to help 14 projects in their drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. The Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are investing in the 14 projects through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's Green Infrastructure Stream. Canada is contributing more than $60.2 million, conditional on requirements related to consultations with Indigenous groups being met. British Columbia is contributing more than $50.1 million. Individual project recipients are investing over $40.1 million in total.
“In partnership with the Province, we continue to invest in critical infrastructure, building greener, healthier, and more resilient communities and supporting local economies at a time when it is needed most,” said Catherine McKenna, Canada’s minister of infrastructure and communities. “Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."
Through the Investing in Canada plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
Across B.C., the Government of Canada has invested more than $4.4 billion in over 580 infrastructure projects since 2015 under the Investing in Canada plan.
