RED ROCK, Ont. – It’s taken nearly a decade, but Red Rock is on its way to getting a new sewage treatment plant.
Federal and provincial representatives joined Red Rock community leaders on Friday to mark the groundbreaking of the water pollution control plant, a $25-million project that first received commitment nine years ago and then was reaffirmed last year with a promise of full funding from senior levels of government.
Red Rock mayor Gary Nelson said the existing facility might have only a two-year lifespan remaining.
“We need the plant in order to keep the town going,” Nelson said. “We’re hoping for an expansion of the town. We’ve had people in here looking to build condominiums. This plant is badly needed.”
Work started at the site about two weeks ago and Nelson estimated a 15-month construction timeline.
The project cost is covered through $17 million from the province and $8.5 million from Ottawa, including the original $9 million pledged years ago.
Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle, who last year announced Ontario’s commitment as a member of the former Liberal provincial government, said the new facility is a priority project for the community, as well as both senior levels of government.
Despite last year’s change in provincial government, Gravelle said he never believed the project was at risk.
“This will give the town an opportunity to be able to promote the community in a way that’s not been done before,” Gravelle said.
“This is a beautiful community with great resilient people who want to try to continue to build the economy. Something like a wastewater treatment plant may not be the sexiest project in the world but it’s one that’s crucial to the community itself and for people to be able to stay here and continue to grow the community.”
Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu said it's important for the government to work with municipalities that would have difficulty paying for expensive pieces of new critical community infrastructure like the wastewater treatment plant.
"We know that municipalities need that extra level of infrastructure support," Hajdu said. "Often times with small communities like Red Rock, there just isn't a capacity to raise money needed to contribute."
Nipigon Bay has been identified as a Great Lakes environmental area of concern by both the Canadian and United States governments, with the existing plant the last remaining hot spot of contamination. The 50-year-old plant is only a primary treatment facility, while the new plant will be a secondary treatment facility.
Andrea Khanjin, the parliamentary assistant to the minister of environment, conservation and parks, travelled to the North Shore community to make the announcement on behalf of the Progressive Conservative provincial government.
The government’s environment plan prioritizing protecting the Great Lakes, Khanjin said.
“Not only is it significant to the drinking water, but it’s significant to the fish habitat and a lot of the fish species in the water,” Khanjin said. “A lot of people come up to Thunder Bay for tourism and if you want to do something on the waterway you want to have clean water to be able to do that.”
