For Immediate Release
June 30, 2005

McGUINTY GOVERNMENT INVESTS $25 MILLION IN RAVENSVIEW WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT
Kingston Residents to Benefit from Improvements to Water Quality

KINGSTON — The McGuinty government will invest $25 million toward upgrading Kingston’s Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant, announced John Gerretsen, MPP for Kingston and the Islands on behalf of David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal.

“By investing in local infrastructure renewal, we can help build healthy, strong communities,” said Gerretsen. “The Ravensview project is fundamental to the quality of life in Kingston and demonstrates how the McGuinty government is working with municipalities across Ontario to improve critical infrastructure systems.”

Provincial funding will be used to upgrade the plant systems from primary to secondary treatment in an effort to improve the capacity of the facility and the quality of wastewater. The $80-million project is currently in the planning and design stage with a target completion date of 2010.

"We are grateful to the McGuinty government for its significant investment in our city's top priority," said Mayor Harvey Rosen. "As a result of Minister Gerretsen's tireless efforts, we can be assured that Ravensview will now be able to more effectively process the waste-water demands of our growing city."

“This is great news for the City of Kingston and together, we are renewing critical public infrastructure,” said David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. “This contribution, through ReNew Ontario, reconfirms our commitment to ensuring clean, safe water for all Ontarians.”

Construction at the Ravensview plant is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2006. The upgrades will also ensure future compliance with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Effluent Quality guidelines and contribute to the environmental protection of the Great-Lakes-St. Lawrence basin.

Ontario’s contribution matches a $25 million contribution previously announced by the Government of Canada under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF). The City of Kingston will fund the balance of the estimated $80-million project.

The Ontario contribution is part of the McGuinty government’s $30 billion ReNew Ontario five-year infrastructure investment plan, announced in May. The plan includes investments for: municipalities to upgrade their water and wastewater systems

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