Winnipeg’s mayor says a new report looking into the economic impact of the North End Water Pollution Control Centre underscores the importance of finishing the final phase of the massive project, which would seriously curtail the city’s ability to grow if not completed.
Scott Gillingham said Thursday that the completion of the treatment plant’s third phase — which comes with a $1.5 billion price tag — would generate billions in provincial and federal tax revenue and expand the city’s wastewater capacity for decades to come.
“Completing this project is not only critical for our environment, it’s one of the best economic opportunities available to governments right now,” Gillingham said.
“When we finish the new North End plant, Winnipeg’s economy will grow by an additional 16 per cent by 2050, and both the province and Canada will recover their full investment by 2035 through higher tax revenues from new jobs, homes, and businesses.”
The report says financial support from other levels of government is necessary, as funding the remainder of the project through sewer rates alone would cost each Winnipeg household more than $1,000 a year.
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If the plant remains incomplete by 2032, the mayor said, Winnipeg’s wastewater treatment capacity will be maxed out, preventing construction of new homes and other municipal expansion.
The report estimates neighbouring municipalities would also reach capacity limits within five years of Winnipeg, shutting down growth and development over the entire capital region.
The first two phases of the project are already funded and underway, while the third — a nutrient removal facility — is expected to reduce phosphorous and nitrogen discharges from the city into Lake Winnipeg.
Coun. Ross Eadie, who chairs the city’s water, waste and environment committee, said in a statement Thursday that the completion of the third phase, with backing from the other levels of government, will solve two problems at once.
“Protecting ratepayers is the priority,” he said. “We can’t put this entire cost on households without risking affordability.
“At the same time, we have a legal and environmental responsibility to meet provincial licence requirements flowing into Lake Winnipeg.”
The North End plant, city officials said, is important as it handles 70 per cent of the city’s wastewater, as well as wastewater from neighbouring RMs, and it handles biosolids from all three Winnipeg treatment plants.
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