Federal minister coming to N.L. to talk about wastewater

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Federal Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne will meet with St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen to talk about the Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility project.

The facility serves St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Paradise and must be upgraded to meet the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations under the Fisheries Act. But there is a dispute between the levels of government over how the $255-million estimated cost (capital cost) will be covered.

The federal minister’s office issued word of the meeting late Tuesday afternoon. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12.

No official statements are being issued from the federal level until then, The Telegram was told.

“I am looking forward to the meeting and discussing this further to hopefully find a resolution,” Breen stated in brief comment.

The turn to private talks is some movement from the stalemate earlier this week, when the latest update was another appeal-by-letter by the municipalities involved for more help with the project costs, and a promise they would not proceed without additional funding. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment Lisa Dempster added her voice to the mix by separately writing to Champagne to request additional help with the project from the federal government.

Dempster has not spoken to The Telegram on the matter and it’s unclear if the province will be part of the upcoming meeting.

The federal government has offered just under $112 million for the wastewater project — 50 per cent of an early cost estimate. The funding is 43.85 per cent (44 per cent rounded) of the project’s latest estimate.

Apart from the cost of the upgrade, the City of St. John’s, City of Mount Pearl and Town of Paradise are still set to violate the federal regulations, leaving them subject to penalties under the Fisheries Act. A special authorization issued by the federal government kept the municipalities on the right side of the law, but only through Dec. 31, 2020. Even if the infrastructure project were started in earnest today, the municipalities could not meet the deadline.

Exactly what might come down the line as a result remains unclear.

This article was originally published July 30, 2019.

FILE Premier Dwight Ball (right) and federal Infrastructure and Communities Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne signed a bilateral agreement at St. John’s City Hall in 2018. Under the umbrella agreement $555.8 million will be made available to Newfoundland and Labrador between 2018 and 2028 for community infrastructure projects, but a separate arrangement was settled for handling the now $255-million upgrade to the Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility in St. John's. The cost-sharing arrangement is now under dispute and the project is demanding the attention of all levels of government.