A major infrastructure upgrade is set to begin in the Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier after years of planning. Reeve Delmer Nott says the sod-turning ceremony scheduled for July 3 marks the beginning of a long-awaited water extension project.
Nott explains the far west end of the municipality has long lacked access to piped water, leaving residents reliant on cisterns, wells or truck-hauling services. This project will finally give them a reliable option.
"It’s been going on, on and off, for I would say 15 years now, and it’s finally come to a point where we received the funding from the government to complete this project."
“The water is one of the highest needs,” Nott adds. “With this, it provides people at least with an option of connecting to the piped water system.”
Residents who sign on will have water lines run to their homes, with final connections their responsibility. To manage the process, a Local Improvement District (LID) has been formed with 20 participants already committed. Nott says the project is supported through the Cartier Regional Water Co-op and notes it’s been a strong regional collaboration.
Ceremony planned at Belcourt Hall
The official sod-turning will take place at Belcourt Community Club, which is also gaining access to the new water line. Government officials are expected to attend the ribbon-cutting event, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on July 3. The public is invited, and refreshments will be served afterward.
Funding and partnership details
John Visser, chief administrative officer for the RM, says the project has been a top priority for the municipality for well over a decade.
“The water W project has been at the top of the RM's list for probably about 15 years,” Visser notes. “We submitted it as part of our priorities list to the government, and in 2023 the government provided us a grant to cover 67 per cent of the cost.”
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The remainder of the funding will come from a combination of a strategic infrastructure grant and LID contributions. The estimated budget for the project is $2.5 million, although Visser says the bid came in under that amount, and savings may be passed on to residents.
“It has been a priority for numerous councils before this,” he continues. “So when we received notification of the grant funds in 2023, we thought it was time to leverage that and get the project done.”
The groundwork for the project was originally laid as far back as 2008 or 2009, but Visser says the lack of resident commitment and less favourable funding at the time stalled the effort.
“This time, with two-thirds of the cost funded by the provincial government, it’s significant.”
Sustainable water for the future
Visser says residents have long been pushing for this project.
“There have been people who have been actively campaigning for this project for a number of years,” he adds. “Potable water that’s safe is an essential need for everyone.”
Nott says the project brings long-term value and aligns with broader regional planning.
“The opportunity that presented itself was supported by all accounts,” Nott continues. “All the council has stood behind it to bring potable water to the entire community.”
He adds that the Cartier Regional Water Co-op has committed to upgrading the service line from 150mm to 250mm to enable future expansion into the RM of Portage la Prairie for servicing the Peony Farms Reservoir.
“This essentially becomes a regional project,” he says. “It’s going to have future regional benefits down the line.”
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