Centre Wellington gets millions for water protection work

Centre Well­ington Township has received grants from the federal and provincial government that will help cover nearly $6-million in expenditures that the muni­cipality had already under­taken.

The money comes from the he Canada-Ontario Infrastruc­ture Program. The federal gov­ernment is providing $1.95-million, and the province is adding another $2.12-million.

Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj said the money will cover work that in­cluded a new well at Cottontail Road, west of Elora, a better data collection system for the entire township and major improve­ments to three other municipal wells.

What pleased Ross-Zuj the most was that council had undertaken the full expenditure of over $6-million simply be­cause it deemed that work had to be done to meet the new water protection regulations. Now, the township is getting nearly two-thirds of that expen­diture returned through the grants. She said the work has taken place over the past three to four years.

“It’s nice to get a contri­bution of almost $4-million” she said.

Wellington-Halton Hills MP Mike Chong, said, "I'm pleased that the government of Canada has partnered with the province and the township to invest in important water upgrades for Fergus and Elora. Our government is committed to improving water treatment, so that we can protect the health and safety of Canadians and sustain our quality of life."

The upgrades are required to bring the municipal water system into compliance with the Ontario Drinking Water Systems Regulation and im­prove the quality of life for residents in Centre Wellington. "green" municipal infra­struc­ture is a priority for the Can­ada-Ontario Infrastructure Pro­gram.

"These upgrades will have lasting benefits for our resi­dents," said Ross-Zuj.

"We are pleased to have worked in partnership with the federal and provincial governments on this critical infrastructure project."

Wellington Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott said, “in my 18 years in the Ontario legis­lature, I have always fought for infrastructure improvements for our communities.

“They are especially important in these challenging economic times.”

He added, “There is still much, much more work to be done on local infrastructure projects.”

Centre Wellington has been the recipient of a number of grants.

One recently came in that allowed the township to rebuild South River Road be­tween Fergus and Elora. Council is also seeking $10-million to expand the Elora sewage treatment plant. Results of that application should be in sometime late March.