Ouellette plans to fund sewage plant upgrades with bonds, expanded levy

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This article was published 25/09/2014 (3647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mayoral candidate Robert-Falcon Ouellette says he’ll issue bonds and stake a share of an expanded container environmental levy to pay for needed upgrades to the city’s sewage treatment plants.

Ouellette said Winnipeg has a responsibility to stop dumping pollutants into the Red River that threaten Lake Winnipeg.

“A sustainable city is about making the most of scarce resources,” Ouellette said Friday morning during a news event on the lawn of the North End sewage treatment plant. “Ultimately, our goal should be to be as environmentally efficient as we can.”

Ouellette outlined a complex plan to pay for the treatment plant upgrades: he’ll convince the province and the container industry to increase the levy on disposable drink containers from two cents to 10 cents, with five cents being a refundable deposit, two cents continuing to go to the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association and the remaining three cents going to the city’s new environment fund.

Ouellette said he expects the expanded levy would generate $7-$12 million annually, which would be used first to pay off upgrades at the sewage treatment plants, and later would be used for other environmental programs.

The city is in the process of a costly upgrade to the South End sewage treatment plant but work has not begun on the North End plant.

Ouellette said the funds from the levy won’t be enough to cover the plant upgrade and plans to find additional money by selling Save Lake Winnipeg bonds.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca