PREECEVILLE INITIATES FINAL MRIF PROJECT

Residents of Preeceville will benefit from a new water distribution system funded through the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF). Preeceville's water distribution project is the final Saskatchewan project to be announced as both levels of government work toward implementing the Communities Component of the new Canada-Saskatchewan Building Canada Fund (BCF).

A joint investment of $263,000 from the federal and provincial governments and an additional $131,500 under the federal Gas Tax Fund was announced today by Saskatchewan's Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ken Krawetz on behalf of Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Hutchinson; Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, on behalf of Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Town of Preeceville Mayor Garth Harris.

"The Government of Saskatchewan believes in investing in our communities so we can meet the opportunities provided by growth," Krawetz said. "We believe in working with our federal and municipal partners to ensure Preeceville residents get access to safe drinking water. The MRIF program has been a great help in helping our communities build their infrastructure and thanks to working with our federal partners, the Building Canada Fund Communities Component can continue to build on the good work the MRIF program began."

"The Government of Canada is pleased to assist the Town of Preeceville in replacing their water distribution systems with a modern and reliable water supply line," said Breitkreuz. "We are making an investment in infrastructure that will create sustainable, lasting benefits for the health of families and their community."

This project will address existing water problems in Preeceville by providing a reliable water supply line with decreased maintenance costs and a safe drinking water supply for all water recipients in the community. The new water line is of a higher quality, which will withstand ground shifts and reduce future line failures and repairs. The line will also eliminate corrosion that reduces water flow and adversely affects water quality.

"This project of replacing the water supply line and extending a filtered water distribution line, is very important to our community in providing sustainability of a quality water distribution service for all residents," Harris said. "On behalf of the Town Council, Staff and Taxpayers, thank-you to the MRIF Grant Program, for your visions for our communities and for the financial assistance in seeing these visions materialize."

Under MRIF, the Government of Canada has invested $45.4 million in 320 infrastructure projects in Saskatchewan. The provincial contribution brings the total MRIF investment to $90.8 million. The MRIF program has helped Saskatchewan communities identify their infrastructure priorities and achieve significant results toward building a stronger, safer and better Canada with a modern infrastructure system.

In April 2008, the Canada-Saskatchewan Building Canada Framework Agreement was signed. With this agreement, the Government of Canada committed to an investment of more than $755 million toward infrastructure needs in Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2014. Through its unprecedented $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, the federal government is providing long-term, stable and predictable funding to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada.

Effective July 15, 2008, Saskatchewan communities began submitting applications for infrastructure projects under the new Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund, a partnership investment of $189 million from federal and provincial governments. The deadline for the first intake of applications was August 29, 2008.

A complete list of all Saskatchewan MRIF projects can be found at www.municipal.gov.sk.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Pierre Florea
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Phone: 613-943-1838

Greg Urbanoski
Municipal Affairs
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2155