Plamondon’s lift stations getting $1.8M boost

Roughly $15 million in provincial money going into Lac La Biche, Cold Lake and Bonnyville areas.

The provincial government is steering dollars toward Plamondon.

Lac La Biche County received $1,832,000 from the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) to go towards the Plamondon wastewater lift stations on Thursday.

The money is going to help in upgrading the lift stations, as well as creating eight new jobs for Plamondon.

The MLA for Fort-McMurray and Lac La Biche, Laila Goodridge, is looking forward to the opportunities the $1.8 million will bring.

“The Plamondon lift station is a core infrastructure in the community, and the fact that it will create new jobs and get an upgrade is amazing news for Plamondon,” said Goodridge.

The funding Lac La Biche County is receiving is just one of the many projects that will be happening through STIP.

It’s a part of Alberta’s economic recovery plan, which is $10 billion towards infrastructure investment.

The economic recovery plan is in response to COVID-19 and the economic struggles the pandemic has brought the province.

The $10 billion in funding will create 32,000 new jobs across Alberta the government said, it will make Alberta more appealing for people who are thinking about relocating, and contribute to economic growth for years to come.

“Our economic recovery plan is ambitious,” said Goodridge.

“This is for the long-term success of Alberta, and it increases our quality of living right now as well as creating jobs. It’s also going to make Alberta a lot more competitive in the long run.”

Buffalo Lake bridge funding

The STIP program has been putting a great deal of focus on rural and smaller communities to help improve quality of life in more remote areas.

Just south of Lac La Biche, the Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement will also be getting funding from STIP for a bridge replacement. Buffalo Lake will be receiving roughly $1,139,651 for the bridge.

“It’s going to improve the safety, efficiency, and travel in the Buffalo Lake area, and it’s improving core infrastructure in the Buffalo region,” said Goodridge.

The bridge in Buffalo Lake has been compromised for quite some time due to flooding.

Some of the bigger projects STIP will be working on is putting $1.5 billion into the Keystone XL pipeline to help recover the economy and provide upwards of 7,000 new jobs, as well as investing $1 billion dollars into oil and gas sites to clean them up, which will help foster $5,300.

Lakeland area getting water boost

The City of Cold Lake will receive $5.8 million for upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility and another $700,000 to upgrade a force main, while the M.D. of Bonnyville will receive just roughly $2.7 million combined for new potable water reservoirs in Ardmore and Fort Kent respectively.

Just over $2 million will go into a regrading project for a gravel bus route in Elizabeth Metis Settlement and nearly $875,000 will help replace a bridge in Fishing Lake Metis Settlement, as part of the province’s efforts to make repairs to roadways across Alberta.