$1,050,000 From The Green Municipal Fund Helps The Regional County Municipalaty Of La Vallee-De La Gatineau Install An Innovative Septic Tank Sludge Collection System

FCM President Gord Steeves and the Honourable Lawrence Cannon (Pontiac), Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, representing the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, congratulated Pierre Rondeau, Warden of the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, on the excellent results of the RCM’s innovative septic tank sludge collection system project. The RCM’s Centre de traitement et de valorisation des boues de fosses septiques is supported by a $1,050,000 loan from the Green Municipal Fund. At the Centre, sludge is dehydrated by rotary press technology, which separates liquids from solid matter. Liquids are sent to aeration tanks; residual sludge is mixed with forest waste to produce compost.

“Canadians want to see real results. Through the Green Municipal Fund, Canada’s new government is helping municipalities across the country deliver when it comes to protecting our environment,” said the Honourable Lawrence Cannon. “Through projects such as this, we are demonstrating our commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians.”

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said FCM President Gord Steeves. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

The Government of Canada has endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with $550 million to establish and manage the Green Municipal Fund. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

"We take water quality seriously,” said Warden Rondeau. “That is why we have installed an integrated management system for sludge collection centred at our new processing centre. We estimate that the project will reduce air pollution caused by transportation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the order of 200 tonnes a year.”

The Regional County Municipality (RCM) of La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau is located about 40 kilometres north of the City of Gatineau. The jurisdiction is shared by 17 municipalities (Town of Maniwaki, Municipality of Aumond, Municipality of Blue Sea, Municipality of Bois-Franc, Municipality of Bouchette, Municipality of Déléage, Town of Gracefield, Municipality of Grand-Remous, Municipality of Kazabazua, Municipality of Lac Cayamant; Municipality of Lac Ste-Marie; Municipality of Low, Municipality of Messines, Municipality of Montcerf-Lytton; Municipality of Denholm, Municipality of Egan-Sud, Municipality of Ste-Thérèse-de-la Gatineau) and covers 13,424 square kilometres, making it one of the largest RCMs in the Province of Quebec.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters sustainable communities enjoying a high quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.