Residents in Mulgrave and Sherbrooke Village, Guysborough County, can look forward to improved water and wastewater systems, and 16 municipalities in Cape Breton and eastern Nova Scotia will have improved solid waste management systems, thanks to funding made available through the Canada - Nova Scotia Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.

Federal and provincial funding of $1,221,165 was announced today by Canada’s New Government and the Government of Nova Scotia. The Town of Mulgrave and the districts of Guysborough and St. Mary’s will fund the balance of the project costs, upon formal acceptance of the agreement.

The Municipality of Guysborough project includes the design, site preparation, access road construction and the preparation of liner materials of the Guysborough Second Generation Landfill.  This landfill serves 16 municipalities and will improve solid waste management practices for 100,000 households. 

The Town of Mulgrave project includes upgrades to the water utility and wastewater treatment facility.  About 400 households will have improved drinking water and wastewater treated to a higher quality.  The Sherbrooke Village project includes upgrades to the water utility, which will provide 105 households with improved drinking water. 

“Canada’s New Government is getting things done for the residents of Guysborough County ”, said Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. “Through our investment of over $610,000 we are strengthening the community’s infrastructure and improving the quality of life for families”.

"Improved infrastructure for our communities is a priority for our government,” said Ron Chisholm, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, on behalf of Jamie Muir, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. "Through joint programs such as MRIF, we can take part in projects in our communities which help us provide a high quality of life for all our citizens.”

"With each new infrastructure project announced, we see the results of the hard work community partners and municipal staff have invested in developing these project proposals,” said Russell Walker, President of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities.  “When completed, these projects will have immediate, positive benefits for the residents of these communities.”

The $111-million, six-year Canada-Nova Scotia Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is administered by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation and the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities are members of the Program management committee. The infrastructure program supports community infrastructure improvements, such as water, wastewater, and solid waste management.

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For more information:

David Harrigan

Communications - ACOA Nova Scotia

902-426-4238

Deborah Bayer

Communications Advisor

Canada-Nova Scotia Infrastructure Secretariat

902-424-0112