OPINION EDITORIAL

By George Abbott
Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services

I would like to clarify the facts surrounding the Canada-B.C. Infrastructure Program and the province's new action plan on safe drinking water, and to correct the false impression that residents are expected to pay the full costs of both programs.

Since last December, a series of projects have been announced under the Canada-B.C. Infrastructure Program to replace old pipes and upgrade water treatment plants in communities across British Columbia. Federal, provincial and municipal governments are partners in the $800-million program, which will see a minimum of $600 million spent on water- and sewer-related projects over the next five years. Under this program, senior levels of government are committed to paying two-thirds of those costs.

To date, we've approved 49 water projects, worth $123 million. They range from a new water-treatment plant in Kamloops to a new $3-million water filtration plant in Port Edward, in the north of the province. There are more infrastructure announcements to come.

The provincial share of projects that have been approved will not be billed back to local water users. After all, British Columbians and Canadians have already paid for the projects through their taxes.

There will, however, be costs associated with the new safe drinking water action plan. The action plan is projected to cost $16 million a year initially, with the annual costs of the plan dropping significantly in following years. Over 90 per cent of British Columbians receive their drinking water through their local government purveyor, which has the responsibility to provide safe drinking water for its residents. The safe drinking water action plan is intended to provide added support to local governments in ensuring residents have safe drinking water. The action plan will ensure that source-to-tap assessments of water systems are done, monitoring and testing of water supplies is ongoing, and water operators are properly trained and certified.

We will work closely with municipal governments to implement this plan and to develop appropriate cost recovery options. We must also remember that individual residents Ñ the end users Ñ are the people who benefit, and they should help share that extra cost. This will only apply to the $16-million action plan, not to the $800-million infrastructure program.

British Columbians understand that protecting water is increasingly complex and expensive. The combination of infrastructure upgrades and the new action plan will help deliver safer drinking water.

Our goal is safe, clean and affordable drinking water for all British Columbians, regardless of where they live. We can do this by working together, rebuilding our infrastructure and introducing stringent new monitoring standards.