RED ROCK -- The early federal election call will not set back the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Red Rock and that's encouraging news for the largest environmental cleanup project in the area.
In the days after the election was called, the town received a $4.5-million commitment from then-Infrastructure Minister Dennis Lebelle, which green-lights the project.
The funding matches the provincial 50 per cent share the municipality has already received.
“We’re very glad this has happened at this time, before the election and we want to get this thing started because the plant we have right now is a pretty aged plant in need of repairs,” said Red Rock Mayor Gary Nelson. “It couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Waiting on the the federal commitment had caused Red Rock to delay passing a resolution that would recommend the Nipigon Bay be removed from the list of environmental Areas of Concern.
Nelson said a resolution to have the bay delisted will be presented at the Aug. 17 council meeting.
Upriver in Nipigon, council passed the same resolution in June, stating it was satisfied with the cleanup that has occurred. From changing dam practices to stabilize flow on the Nipigon River to cleaning up bark from logging on the riverbed, the effort to delist the Nipigon Bay is already having an impact on the town that bears its name.
Nipigon has also received funding for a new wastewater treatment plant.
Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey said senior government funding has been tied to projects identified under the Area of Concern and he's looking forward to moving on.
“Part of the reason we’re encouraging towards getting it delisted is because then we can really start pushing for funding to start addressing other issues that weren’t on the original list of impediments,” he said.
Harvey said Nipigon’s next environmental priority will be treatment for its storm water, which is already separated from its sewage.
