Winnipeg's North End Sewage Treatment Plant project gets $16M more funding from Ottawa

Winnipeg is getting a $16-million boost in its funding from the federal government to help with upgrades to the city's largest sewage treatment plant.

The funding will go toward completing Phase 2 of improvements at the North End Sewage Treatment Plant, which is more than 90 years old and provides 70 per cent of the city's wastewater treatment.

"Without sewage treatment capacity … you can't build new homes, you can't protect Canada's sixth great lake — Lake Winnipeg, which so many Winnipeggers and Manitobans enjoy — and of course, without the resources to pay for it, our citizens' water rates would go through the roof," said Terry Duguid, minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, at a news conference on Monday.

The money is part of a 10-year agreement under the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to improve critical infrastructure related to drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste that's intended to expand sewage capacity and allow more homes to be built.

The city estimates the full cost of the project will be $3 billion. Phase 2 is construction of a new facility to turn wastewater sludge into biosolids, which will cost $1.03 billion, the city said.

Without the upgrades, the city could run out of sewage capacity in six years, Duguid said.

The federal government previously promised $150 million in funding, which was included in the federal fall economic statement in Ottawa.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the funding is a major step forward in improving the city's "largest, most expensive, most complicated" capital infrastructure project.

Gillingham has a photo of the treatment plant from 1937 on his office wall as a reminder to think of its longevity, so it can serve generations to come. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if maybe perhaps one day, a future mayor might have a photo of this new facility hanging on their wall to inspire them in the same way, because this is not just an upgrade. Essentially we are building a brand new wastewater treatment plant," he said.

"We may be using some of the existing facilities and certainly the existing site, but this is a full-scale transformation that will serve Winnipeg for the next generation," he said.

Gillingham said the three levels of government need to continue working together to secure funding to complete Phase 3, the final stage of upgrades to the sewage treatment plant, which would remove nutrients from the wastewater.

"But by working together, we're making sure that Winnipeg has the modern infrastructure it needs … to grow sustainably, to protect our rivers and lakes and to support economic development while keeping things affordable for generations to come," Gillingham said.

The city estimates Phase 3 will cost more than $825 million. 

The City of Winnipeg is expected to release a report on its latest proposed water and sewer rates on Tuesday, ahead of the committee meeting on March 10.

"Trying to find a way to maintain affordability for ratepayers is vital. At the same time, we have to got to get this project built — we just have to," Gillingham said.