Bouctouche – The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, today announced funding for the new water treatment facility for the Buctouche First Nation of New Brunswick.

“Our Government is committed to ensuring that First Nation communities, like all Canadian communities, have access to safe, clean drinking water,” said Minister Valcourt. “Through strategic investments in safe drinking water systems on reserve, our Government is improving living conditions and contributing to healthier, more self-sufficient communities.”

The project includes the design and installation of a water transmission line, construction of a booster station, a new pump house and a water storage tank. A well-field protection plan has been incorporated into the design of the water system to further ensure the safety and quality of the reserve’s drinking water. “Our community has been affected on a number of occasions by water quality issues,” said Chief Ann Mary Simon of the Buctouche First Nation. “These long awaited upgrades to our system will put us in a better position to provide our community members with safe, clean drinking water.”

The Harper Government is investing an estimated $2.2 million in the design and construction of the new pump house and water storage tank. The first two phases of the project have already been tendered, with a third closing March 19, 2013. Work on the new water treatment facility is expected to be completed late this fall.

The Harper Government is taking action to improve the lives of First Nations and to stimulate economic growth in First Nation communities through targeted infrastructure investments. Between 2006 and 2013, the Harper Government has invested in over 130 major drinking water and wastewater projects, in addition to funding the maintenance and operation of over 1,200 water and wastewater systems on reserve across the country. Each year, the Harper Government also invests in training and certification of First Nation water system operators.

The Harper Government remains focused on four priorities, as outlined by the Prime Minister, that Canadians care most about: their families, the safety of our streets and communities, their pride in being a citizen of this country, and their personal financial security.

Buctouche First Nation is located 3.2 kilometers southwest of Bouctouche, New Brunswick. The community has 111 members, with an on-reserve population of approximately 74 members.

Tags: Bernard Valcourt, Bouctouche, Chief Ann Mary Simon, Harper Government