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Cranbrook, BC (April 8, 2024) – The City of Cranbrook has issued a formal letter requesting additional funding support for the failing Gold Creek Dam to both the Federal and Provincial governments, along with Kootenay-Columbia MP Rob Morrison, and Kootenay East MLA Tom Shypitka.

The City is grateful for the $9.51 million from the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Green Infrastructure – Environmental Quality Stream for the new Phillips Reservoir Disinfection Facility announced on March 22, 2024. However, the reconstruction of the Gold Creek Dam is a critical project required to ensure future water quality and security for Cranbrook. As the Gold Creek Dam is the primary water source for the community, which flows into the Phillips Reservoir, the need for funding support and partnership is imperative to see the Gold Creek Dam’s reconstruction come to fruition.

“Rebuilding the dam will protect the community from a dam failure and loss of water supply and allow for a safe and secure source of water for Cranbrook well into the future,” Mayor Wayne Price wrote in the letter to The Hounourable Steven Guilbeault, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to The Hounourable Nathan Cullen, Provincial Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. “We all know that proactively investing in critical infrastructure to mitigate the effects of climate change and prepare for emergencies is many times cheaper than the cost of responding and rebuilding after a catastrophic event.”

On April 2, 2024, the federal government announced it was pledging $6 billion in new money in a new infrastructure fund to help tackle Canada’s housing crisis, but much of it will be accessible only by provinces and territories that agree to certain conditions. The announcement identified that the money will be dedicated to the construction and upgrading of water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste infrastructure, something cities like Cranbrook have said is critical to building more housing. 

The Prime Minister’s Office noted that of the $6 billion in the fund, $1 billion will go directly to municipalities for “urgent infrastructure needs”. Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser said that “the first $1 billion will be for shovel-ready projects that are ready to go, and that money will flow immediately.”

The City has already invested over $1 million in planning and asset management to the City’s water supply infrastructure, including a comprehensive Water Quality and Supply Master Plan. The City has also invested in the planning, design, and approval for a new Gold Creek Dam with increased storage capacity to better meet Cranbrook’s future water needs.

“We are prepared to act and can meet the requirements laid out with this new funding announced last week,” says Mayor Price. 

“We implore the Federal and Provincial governments to step up and recognize the investment we have already made to prepare and plan for the immense risks around Cranbrook’s water supply, and our ability to supply fire flow and safe drinking water to our community, by providing critical infrastructure funding for this important water supply asset.”