The Municipality of South Bruce welcomed a $775,000 contribution from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) with a celebration on the weekend.
The purchase of a new fire pumper truck for the Mildmay-Carrick Fire Station, and a compactor for the two South Bruce landfills was made possible through the Near-Term Investment program. The funding is provided by the NWMO to communities that remain in the site selection process for the Project to store Canada’s used nuclear fuel.
Representatives from South Bruce Council, South Bruce Fire Rescue Service, and the NWMO gathered at the Mildmay-Carrick Recreation Complex at Noon on Saturday to give remarks to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions to the two projects. The new compactor and fire pumper truck were on display alongside a number of other emergency service vehicles and public works equipment at the municipally organized, family friendly Touch a Truck event.
In the summer and fall of 2021, Council submitted Near-Term Investment funding requests to support the purchase of the fire pumper truck for the amount of $475,000 and the landfill compactor for the amount of $300,000. Both projects were approved based on how they will meet sustainability, achievability, community benefit goals, and other criteria laid out in the Near-Term Investment program. The landfill compactor will be used in both of the South Bruce landfills, and is expected to double their lifecycles. The compactor will reduce financial burdens and slow the need for new landfills in the near future.
The new frontline pumper for the Mildmay-Carrick Station replaces a 22-year-old vehicle that had been in service. It will benefit the safety and wellbeing of the firefighters and the broader community for many years, without causing a major financial impact on ratepayers. The Near-Term Investment program is aimed at supporting social and physical infrastructure projects in South Bruce from 2020-2023.
After NWMO’s contributions, the remaining balances for the pumper truck and the compactor were paid using Municipal reserves. “Both the fire pumper truck and the landfill compactor are important infrastructure assets to our community and will be for many years to come,” said Mayor Robert Buckle. “On behalf of Council I’d like to thank the NWMO for choosing to support investments in the community.”
“The support for South Bruce Fire Rescue from Council, as well as community members and organizations such as the NWMO is greatly appreciated. These contributions help to ensure we have up-to-date, modern equipment that assist our dedicated firefighters in ultimately keeping the community safe,” said Fire Chief Guy Gallant.
“The Near-Term Investment fund empowers the community to set its own path forward and we are happy to support this community-driven approach,” said Tareq Al-Zabet, Director of Site Selection – South Bruce. “The NWMO continues to work with the Municipality to invest in projects that will have long-lasting benefits for the community.”
A number of community members from across South Bruce were able to see the compactor and pumper truck for the first time while attending the “Touch a Truck” event, which ran from 10am until 2pm in the Mildmay-Carrick Recreation Complex parking lot.