Two Annapolis County Communities to Benefit from Improved Drinking Water

Residents of Lawrencetown and Middleton will benefit from improved drinking water thanks to a shared investment by the governments of Canada, Nova Scotia and the two municipalities.

The Village of Lawrencetown is receiving $550,755 to replace wells, and Middleton is receiving $223,407 to install new chlorine equipment. Funding for the projects is under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.

The investments were announced today, April 21, in Lawrencetown, by Mark Parent, Minister of Environment, on behalf of Jamie Muir, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, and Senator Gerald Comeau, on behalf of Peter MacKay, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The Village of Lawrencetown and the Town of Middleton will each fund one third of the cost of the projects in their communities.

"The provincial drinking water strategy we adopted calls for upgrades that would bring all Nova Scotia drinking water in line with the best standards in the country," said Mr. Parent. "We will continue to work with our federal and municipal partners to ensure Nova Scotia's drinking water supplies remain clean and safe."

"The government of Canada is committed to working with our partners to provide communities with the tools they need to build a sustainable, competitive and diversified regional and local economy," said Mr. Comeau. "Through an investment of more than $258,000, government is working with the residents of Annapolis County to improve the quality and reliability of our drinking water."

The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Program supports community infrastructure improvements such as water, wastewater and solid-waste management.

"The importance of improving the health of our communities, and of our environment, can never be underrated," said Robert Wrye, president of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities. "We are pleased to see these water-improvement projects moving forward."

Today's investments are part of the $133-million, six-year Canada-Nova Scotia Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, which 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.