News Release

EEL RIVER CROSSING (GNB) – $1.3 million in upgrades for the Villages of Eel River Crossing and Balmoral were announced today under the Small Communities Fund.

“These projects support stronger communities through improvements to Eel River Crossing’s drinking water system and with upgrades to the Balmoral storm water system,” said Restigouche West MLA Gilles LePage. “The provincial government is proud of the partnership it has with the federal government and the municipalities to deliver new infrastructure and jobs to these vibrant communities.”

LePage attended the announcement for Environment and Local Government Minister Brian Kenny.

“The federal government understands that by building stronger communities and modernizing and developing our infrastructure, we are creating jobs and opportunities and building a better Canada for future generations,” said federal Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister Bernard Valcourt. “The Small Communities Fund of the New Building Canada Fund supports economic growth from coast to coast to coast while ensuring that Canadian communities remain among the best in the world to live.”

Valcourt made the announcement on behalf of Infrastructure, Communities, and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Denis Lebel.

The upgrade for Eel River Crossing involves installing an ultra-violet disinfection system and upgrading the electrical panels at the water source. The upgrades for Balmoral involve improvements to the storm water system by replacing old culverts, mostly made of wood, and installing new storm water mains at critical locations. This investment in the storm water system will reduce damage to the road network and control erosion and sediment entering watercourses.

“We are pleased to be working with our partners to make strategic investments in our storm water infrastructure,” said Balmoral Mayor Charles Bernard. “These upgrades are necessary to ensure our community is well-positioned with the necessary infrastructure to face storm events such as Arthur in 2014 in order to protect our residents and our existing infrastructure.”

“We are pleased to work with the different levels of government to improve our infrastructure in a sustainable manner that considers both our current and future needs,” said Denis Savoie, mayor of Eel River Crossing. “These important improvements will have a lasting and positive impact on our community.”

Under the Small Communities Fund, the provincial government is partnering with the federal government to jointly invest a total of about $79 million in infrastructure over the next 10 years. Each project also receives matched funding from the community for a total investment of more than $118 million.

A total of 38 projects in New Brunswick communities will receive funding for strategic infrastructure projects that contribute to both a cleaner environment and economic growth. This is the first round of investments under the fund.

The Small Communities Fund was announced last year as part of the federal government’s 10-year infrastructure plan for communities with a population of less than 100,000. The fund was created under the New Building Canada Plan 2014-2024.

Eligible categories include highways and major roads, public transit, disaster mitigation, connectivity and broadband, innovation, wastewater, green energy, drinking water, solid waste management, brownfield redevelopment, local and regional airports, short-line rail, short-sea shipping and northern infrastructure.