The much-discussed, long-awaited expansion of the Alexandria sewage system is one step closer to becoming a reality with the approval of a $28,543,000 grant from the Ontario government that will cover 73 per cent of the bill.
The approval of the funds under the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund will help upgrade the service and pave the way for new housing, with over 1,000 units planned for the town.
However, the township must also come up with a large, as yet unspecified sum, to cover its share of the project.
The money has been awarded under the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund. The government’s web page notes: “Projects will be cost shared between municipalities and the province. The province would fund a maximum of 73% (up to $35 million) of eligible project costs, and the municipality would be required to fund all remaining (a minimum of 27%) project costs.”
The township’s share would be funded through reserves already set aside for capital expenses, as well as a loan.
A North Glengarry delegation made an impassioned request to provincial ministers for $30 million in funding at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association in Toronto.
Mayor Jamie MacDonald’s video and presentation presented Alexandria as an ideal area to invest, with its proximity to both Montreal and Ottawa, quick access to two major highways and a railway service in town.
Some 1,300 new homes are ready to be built once the sewage system has been upgraded, the mayor said. The improved services would have a capacity for over 3,300 new housing units.
For more than 30 years, Alexandria has been under a growth freeze due to insufficient lagoon capacity. A remedy was identified as a priority in the township’s 2019 strategic plan.
In 2021, the township announced that the building freeze had been lifted with the approval of the Ontario Ministry of Environment.
“This is a good news motion, and a long time coming,” MacDonald stated back then. “This is the beginning of a new day for Alexandria and North Glengarry.”
The total cost of the project to double the lagoon capacity was estimated to be $19 million in 2021, when the work was expected to be completed within five years.
But since then, a lack of money has stalled the improvements.