Twenty Communities Benefit from Grants Under the Ontario Potable Water Program

CORNWALL, Ontario, January 22, 2009 — Guy Lauzon, Member of Parliament for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, is pleased to announce that 20 communities will benefit from grants under the Ontario Potable Water Program (OPWP).

The OPWP provides financial support to promote local economic development in municipalities that have experienced increased costs for their Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP) water projects to comply with changes to Ontario drinking water regulations.

"Our government is committed to supporting our communities," said MP Lauzon. "These OPWP grants will allow municipalities to direct resources to priority areas within their communities."

A complete list of the 20 approved OPWP grants is available in the attached backgrounder.

Municipalities may be considered for financial support under the Ontario Potable Water Program upon completion of their COIP drinking water projects. As projects are completed, Industry Canada officials will contact these municipalities directly to confirm their eligibility and interest in applying for the OPWP. Once applications are assessed, municipalities will be informed and grants will be announced. Financial support under the OPWP must be delivered to municipalities by March 31, 2011.

For more information on the OPWP, please visit Regional and Rural Development in the By Subject section under Programs and Services on www.ic.gc.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Pema Lhalungpa
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502

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January 22, 2009

Backgrounder
Ontario Potable Water Program (OPWP) Approved Grants

Municipality	OPWP Grant Amount
Asphodel-Norwood, Township of	$4,284
Carling , Township of	$2,094
Champlain, Township of	$12,807
Cornwall, City of	$1,167,606
Emo, Township of	$17,124
Fauquier – Strickland, Township of	$2,418
Hamilton, Township of	$318,960
Highlands East, Municipality of	$347,990
Innisfil, Town of	$239,319
Latchford, Town of	$35,298
Marmora and Lake, Municipality of	$56,334
Mulmur, Township of	$229,512
North Glengarry, Township of	$65,758
Northeastern Manitoulin and The Islands, Town of	$24,836
Orillia, City of	$126,425
Ramara, Township of	$218,102
Springwater, Township of	$49,647
Tiny, Township of	$624,830
West Elgin, Municipality of	$71,262
West Perth, Municipality of	$124,547

Total Number: 20
Total Financial Support: $3,739,153

For more information on the OPWP, please send an email to OPWP-PEPO@ic.gc.ca