Gas tax money for projects rolls over

Labrador City has benefited a great deal from the Gas Tax Capital Investment Plan (GTCP).

Upgrades were made to the town's water and sewer systems, according to Diane Gear, town clerk, at a reduced cost to taxpayers who didn't have to pay for the projects through their property taxes.

Labrador City Town Council passed a motion May 4, to roll over $58,314 into the new GTCP.

Peter Reccord, Labrador City councillor, explained that the money was not spent because they ran out of time due the short construction season in the municipality.

The council approved the money be spent on the following projects: completing a major sewer upgrade on Avalon Drive and Drake Avenue, operator training for the water distribution system and waste water treatment, upgrading the chlorination system at Harry Lake, and the replacement of an air compressor at the Drake Waste Water Plant.

The GTCP went into effect April 1, 2006 and expired March 31, 2010, Gear explained, with $946,000 going to Labrador City.

Then the plan was extended from 2010-2014 and Coun. Reccord estimated that the town would receive $1.1 million over than time.

One of the major projects funded by program was the Avalon-Drake sanitary sewer upgrade and the town clerk expects -with the roll-over money-the project might be completed this summer.

She informed that larger size pipes needed to be installed to handle a larger amount of flow, particularly with increased volume coming from IOC's Industrial Park and workers camp.

Gear noted the cost was shared between IOC, the municipality, and gas tax, and all the work that's left is some minor property reinstatements.

A part of the gas tax money, according to Gear, also went toward operator training, chlorination, a chain-scraper sludge-collector at the Drake Plant as well as a sewer grinder and control panel, and to the development of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP).

In order to get tax money, she informed, every community had to complete an ICSP [Integrated Community Sustainability Planning] and identify their tangible capital assets.

According to Reccord, the federal government gauges whether communities across Canada meet standards such as clean water system and the handling of waste water.

"There are some good things coming out of that which really requires you to take a look at yourself," he stated. "It's a self assessment. Communities now have to plan more than ever before. One of the reasons is that sustainability is tied to what you're doing in your area and you have to meet criteria, so it's criteria tested."

"These are all going to be very capital-intensive issues, which is why a lot of small communities are in a really tight bind, because what it means is they won't qualify for funding if they are unable to make the improvements," he added.

Gear expressed that she believes Labrador City is a highly accredited municipality when it comes to meeting standards.

Unlike many other communities in Labrador, she stated, the town has a sewage treatment plant, it doesn't have a boil water order, it has well-trained operators, and solid infrastructure.