Ontario Cabinet Minister Kinga Surma visits Haldimand for tour of Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant

On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, Ontario Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma visited the Haldimand County Administration Building for a brief presentation, followed by a tour of the Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant. The Minister was joined by MP Leslyn Lewis – Opposition Critic of Infrastructure & Communities, MPP Bobbi-Ann Brady, Haldimand mayor Shelley Ann Bentley, Norfolk mayor Amy Martin, members of Council and staff.  The $132 million, multi-year facility expansion project will enable Haldimand to meet current and future water treatment/supply needs to 2041.

Representatives from the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) and county staff provided a walk-through of the Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant as well as notable updates and an overview of the expansion project’s benefits, which include:

• The ability to supply safe and reliable drinking water to the border of Six Nations, facilitating a solution to the current water quality concerns within the Territory;
• The timely supply of treated water to Norfolk County to address limitations of existing well-based systems;
• The ability to increase the current supply of treated water to Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to allow for additional connections;
• Increasing the customer base resulting in efficiencies and economy of scale and stabilizing water rates; and
• Providing economic development opportunities and additional housing starts within the area serviced by the water supply system.

Since 2018, Haldimand County Council has been granted several formal delegations at ROMA and AMO to lobby for provincial support and funding for the project. Although financial support has not yet been provided by the province, county staff and Council continue to advocate for provincial support on an ongoing basis along with project partners from Norfolk County and Six Nations.

Currently in the design and engineering phase, the Nanticoke Water Treatment Capacity Expansion Project was approved within the 2024 Rate-Supported Operating Budget with costs fully recoverable from Norfolk County.

Quotes

“As we continue to prioritize making strategic investments in our infrastructure to support sustainable growth, we need the provincial and federal governments to be our ally. Rising costs and changing legislation has put municipalities in a challenging position to fund the local infrastructure necessary to accommodate provincial growth objectives. Hosting a tour of the County’s critical infrastructure provides a rare opportunity to showcase Haldimand’s extraordinary facility in Nanticoke, demonstrating firsthand to our provincial and federal representatives, its capacity to service hundreds of thousands of customers in the surrounding area.” - Haldimand County CAO Cathy Case

“It’s important that we are persistent in elevating the issues that matter to our community to ensure we’re top of mind with the province when it comes to funding and supports. I appreciate the time Minister Surma took to visit our community today and look forward to future discussions and announcements that will positively impact the future of this project.” - Haldimand County Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley: