Harper Government awards major construction contract for Port Granby project

The Harper Government today announced a $28.8-million contract for construction of a waste water treatment plant at the site of the planned Port Granby long-term, low-level radioactive waste management facility. The contract was awarded to Maple Reinders Engineering and Construction Ltd. of Mississauga, Ont.

“This contract marks a major step forward for the Port Granby Project and demonstrates our Government’s ongoing commitment to this important environmental remediation and restoration project,” said the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources. “Construction of the wastewater treatment plant will benefit the regional economy and create a significant number of direct and indirect jobs.”

“Our Government is focused on what matters most to Canadians – jobs and economic growth,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women. “This contract will create local jobs and advance this important remediation project.”

The new plant will provide a higher level of treatment than the existing plant and significantly improve the quality of water being discharged into Lake Ontario, resulting in enhanced protection of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.

The plant will treat surface and groundwater during construction of the waste management facility as well as contaminated water from within the engineered aboveground mound once it is built. During waste excavation at the existing Port Granby Waste Management Facility, groundwater and surface water will be pumped to the new plant for treatment. Work is expected to begin in early spring and take about two years.