Several Manitoba communities are poised to receive a significant financial injection aimed at bolstering drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects, potentially facilitating the construction of more than 14,000 new homes within the province. This week, the Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB) unveiled its intention to extend a combined loan totaling $140 million to support five communities in Manitoba in their endeavors to enhance potable water and wastewater systems through the auspices of CIB’s Infrastructure for Housing Initiative. Noteworthy is the provincial commitment, exceeding $71 million in this collaborative venture.

Functioning as a Crown corporation, CIB is dedicated to backing revenue-generating infrastructure projects aligned with the public interest. The recent investment commitments target the City of Brandon and the Red-Seine-Rat (RSR) Wastewater Co-operative, encompassing the RMs of Tache, Hanover, and Ritchot, along with the town of Niverville. These municipalities benefit from supplementary funding from the Manitoba government and Infrastructure Canada under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, with the Manitoba government assuming the role of an aggregator, facilitating and coordinating efforts among municipal partners.

In Brandon, the allocated funds are earmarked for a water treatment plant upgrade and expansion, enabling the city in southwestern Manitoba to furnish potable water that not only complies with but surpasses provincial standards. Additionally, Brandon plans to extend the coverage of its existing wastewater facility to accommodate the burgeoning commercial and residential demands within the city.

Mayor Jeff Fawcett of Brandon emphasized the transformative impact of this investment, foreseeing not only the modernization of water treatment facilities and wastewater systems but also the facilitation of sustainable growth across communities for future generations.

Conversely, in the municipalities of Taché, Hanover, Ritchot, and Niverville, the financial support will underwrite the establishment of a new centralized wastewater treatment plant, marking a departure from conventional wastewater lagoons for sewage management. This initiative is projected to yield a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 55,300 tonnes over the facility's lifespan, concurrently augmenting the requisite capacity to support the rapid expansion of Manitoba's fastest-growing communities.

Jim Funk, Chair of the RSR Wastewater Co-operative Board, expressed gratitude for the CIB's involvement and expertise, affirming its pivotal role in enabling sustainable residential and commercial growth across the four municipalities over the ensuing half-century.

The financial injection of $140 million by CIB is anticipated to benefit approximately 78,000 households across the five communities by delivering clean water and enhancing wastewater treatment capabilities. Furthermore, this investment is poised to catalyze the construction of 2,300 new housing units in Brandon and a substantial 12,600 new housing units within the RSR region.

Minister Sean Fraser, overseeing Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities, underscored the pivotal role of infrastructure in fostering housing development. He lauded CIB's commitment of $140 million towards new water and wastewater infrastructure, heralding it as a pivotal step towards modernizing wastewater infrastructure while laying the foundation for the growth of Brandon municipality and the RSR communities.

Fraser elucidated that these two projects mark the inaugural ventures in Canada to be financed through CIB's Infrastructure for Housing Initiative, a program poised to extend its reach to communities nationwide.