The villages of Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Verte will undertake $2.7 million upgrades of their wastewater systems, thanks to help from federal and provincial governments.

The announcement was made today by the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Regional Minister for New Brunswick; the Honourable Roland Haché, Minister of Environment, Pierre Godin, Mayor of Petit- Rocher; and Alvine Haché, City Councillor of Pointe-Verte.

Through an investment of $2,698,148 Petit-Rocher will proceed with plans to construct a new wastewater treatment system. The upgrade will allow wastewater to be treated to a higher standard for 900 households.

In addition, a $90,000 project will prolong the life of the wastewater lagoon and increase the treatment system capacity in Pointe-Verte.

“Canada’s New Government is getting things done for the people of Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Verte,” said Minister Thompson, on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). “Thanks to our investment of over $929,000, these projects will ensure that the communities have safe and reliable water treatment systems for the future.”

"We are delighted to work with our federal and municipal partners to fund these two important projects," Haché said. "These infrastructure projects will provide the communities of Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Verte with improved water quality, which will have a positive impact on the quality of life and health of its residents for many years to come."

“The municipality of Petit-Rocher is proud to partner with the governments of New Brunswick and Canada to improve our waste water system,” said Petit-Rocher Mayor Pierre Godin.

“Maintaining municipal infrastructure, especially for a rural municipality the size of the Village of Pointe-Verte, is a big challenge,” says Pointe-Verte municipal councillor Alvine Haché. “We are therefore pleased to be able to enter into a partnership with the provincial and federal governments under the Canada-New Brunswick Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund Agreement.”

The projects are made possible through the Canada-New Brunswick Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund. The three funding partners for each project will contribute one third (Petit-Rocher: $899,382; Pointe-Verte: $30,000) towards the eligible cost of the projects.

More information on Government of Canada and New Brunswick infrastructure programs can be found at www.infrastructure.gc.ca and www.gnb.ca.

Paul C. J. LeBlanc 
Senior Communications Officer 
ACOA New Brunswick
506-452-3310

Michael Wesson 
Communications Officer
New Brunswick Department of Environment 
506-453-3700