Capital Region to Benefit from Wastewater Infrastructure Enhancements
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Summary
Learn English with David Drieschen and Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, the Honorable David Dryschnitzky and Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Nudorf.
Transcript
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or circumstance you hear an alarm go off uh just please muster up by the temporary trailer direct
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behind you and wait instructions from kate um we would really appreciate your cooperation on that
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as uh most of you know or some of you know my name is ken mckay i'm a counselor with the city
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of st albert but it's also my pleasure to be chair of the aero utilities board uh so
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So before we begin, I would like to honour the Treaty 6 territory and Métis homeland
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where we are gathered today as these are traditional lands of First Nations and Métis people.
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We express our respect and gratitude for the rich histories and cultures in the area and
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our shared responsibility to protect these lands and waters.
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Let us take wisdom and teachings from the region's Indigenous peoples as we steward
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our resources for generations to come. I want to extend a very warm welcome to our special guests
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joining us today for this exciting announcement. The Minister of Transportation and Economic
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Corridors, the Honorable David Drieschen. The Minister of Affordabilities and Utilities,
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the Honorable Nathan Neudorf. We have also joining us Mayor Acker from the City of Spruce Grove
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and Kate Polkowski is our CEO and I also want to recognize many of our mayors that are in attendance
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thank you very much for attending and we also are being joined by two MLA's as well in as joining us
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too so thank you very much also sprinkled out through the crowd are many members of the board
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there's 13 municipalities that represent the munis represent or have elected representatives
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on the board and they are all joining us today so thank you all for attending for nearly 40 years
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our organization has supported the region by providing responsible wastewater transmission
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and treatment for our member municipalities and while we started this work as the alberta capital
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region wastewater commission we recently transformed into aero utilities to emphasize
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the future of our organization as a leader in wastewater processing and treatment by harnessing
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the potential of embracing a circular water economy. As our organization continues to grow
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and as you can tell from behind us here to support the region and the industries within it like the
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exciting and burgeoning hydrogen economy and our valuable agricultural sector I am confident that
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Aero Utilities and our team are up to the task of delivering results. What's more, it's very
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comforting to know that we have the support of the Government of Alberta. Their support means
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Aero Utilities will continue to deliver reliable, predictable, and affordable wastewater services to
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more than the 400,000 Albertans, thousands of businesses, and key industries that call our
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region home. So I now want to welcome Minister Drieschen to say a few words about why we are here today.
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Well, thank you so much, Ken and Kate, for having us here at Air Utilities. It's such an impressive
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sight. And to see so many of my colleagues, Minister Newdorf, as well as Jackie Armstrong
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Hominick and Andrew Boychenko, regional MLAs here in the Edmonton area, it's great to see the
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political support and then obviously on the municipal side so many different mayors and
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reeves that came out today this this announcement here today is really a transformational announcement
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for the edmonton capital region so it's great to see the support of of the provincial government
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as well as municipal governments all all working together so it's just a great beautiful day it's
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supposed to get wildly cold later this week so i guess we picked a good day to be outside
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but budget 24 if passed will have significant amount of water projects in it 481 million dollars
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it will be going out to municipalities for grant applications over the next three years
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and water obviously in the province of alberta has been such a precious resource whether it
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was pioneers creating farms and ranch ranches near rivers and lakes or cities that would be
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built alongside them the the use of water here in the province of alberta has been so important to
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populations to communities as well as industrial growth and businesses so water obviously to
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sustain our population with clean drinking water and to attract job creators who use water we need
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to manage our water in a sustainable environmentally friendly way and so that is why i'm proud to say
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that a budget 24 has a 50 million dollar grant to aero utilities former the edmonton capital region
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wastewater commission to build this project right behind us so it'll be an impressive
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impressive investment to error utilities that will increase the treatment of water and that
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will also keep water rates affordable to as ken mentioned the 400 000 people living in the edmonton
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capital region and will also create a revenue stream and i promise that's the first and only
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water pun that i'm going to use today that will be used to to sell fresh water for industrial
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purposes in the surrounding edmonton region and that equates to about 35 million liters per day
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that would be taken out of the north saskatchewan river that will be replaced with this facility
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and just putting that into perspective that's 14 olympic size swimming pools every day that would
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would be drawn out of the North Saskatchewan River that now will not have to be so technically
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we'll get into more specifics when Kate comes up and air utilities can explain the specifics about
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this new train for expansion which will increase the water treatment facility in this area essentially
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doing more with less and just as a regional collaboration with the province and the 13
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municipalities that will benefit from this expansion and the rate payers in this area not
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having to see water rates go up with air products or other new utility users coming into this region
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to the industrial heartland is such a bonus for for the entire province and the thousands of
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businesses like air products that use that will use this water in the production of hydrogen and
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others in the industrial heartland it's just such a great partnership that the province of Alberta is
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doing with this area and I know water treatment plants aren't shiny new rec centers but they're
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obviously very critical to our population growth and our industrial growth and as much as other
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colors of government may talk about environmental projects and to say that you have to pay more in
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a carbon tax to just go to work and to go home this is an environmental program that actually
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will mean something and will actually clean up the environment and make sure that we can use
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our water in a more sustainable way so this conservative government when we talk about
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environmental projects it's actually something that means actually cleaning up the environment
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and doing good to the environment rather than just empty rhetoric and words and more taxes.
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So with that, I'm happy to turn things over to my colleague, Minister Newdorf,
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the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, to say a few words.
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But thanks, everyone, for coming out here today.
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love to see the amount of work and the construction industry hard to work behind us but they're just
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incredibly developing what we need for alberta to continue to grow as the minister of affordability
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and utilities the premier tasked me with doing everything that i can to help alberton save more
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of their hard-earned money the cost of utilities whether that's power natural gas or water impacts
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every alberton not only do you pay your monthly utility bill but utilities pay play a role in
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the cost of your groceries and so many other things that we purchase. Reducing the cost of
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these utilities is a necessary step towards making life more affordable for Albertans and I'm proud
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that Alberta's government is taking action to address this most significantly here today. Budget
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2024's investment to help expand the capital region wastewater treatment project will keep
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water rates affordable. Not only does this help thousands of businesses and key industries in
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the capital regions 13 municipalities but it will help lower the utility bills for more than 400 000
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residential ratepayers and talking to kate earlier the the hope is that this could do something more
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cut the rates by more than 60 percent for some of those ratepayers which is just incredible
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we appreciate their their foresight and their work to helping make this become a reality
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it will also provide the infrastructure needed to support this region's growing population
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ensuring that our utilities are not just affordable but also reliable for generations to come
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this investment will just take part of our is just part of how our government is helping make
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life more affordable for albertans aero utilities project will also support hydrogen production at
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the nearby air products plant exploring and supporting new technologies such as hydrogen
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that will improve our electricity system is a key part of my role as minister of affordability and
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utilities and a top priority for our government and with that i would like to hand the mic over
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to Mayor Acker for some of his comments and remarks as we enjoy the day thank you so much
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well as Minister Newdorf just mentioned I'm Mayor Jeff Acker the proud mayor of the city
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of Spruce Grove now this is certainly an exciting moment for aero utilities for our region and for
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the city of Spruce Grove and its residents as we look at what's ahead for our province
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and the municipalities that span across it we need to think thoughtfully and pragmatically about how
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we review and treat our water resources especially in the face of record population growth in the
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capital region a bustling economy attracting new business and industry and anticipated drought
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season ahead it's great to know that our provincial government is willing to step forward and make
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investments that address the opportunities and challenges we face ahead i want to first thank
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Minister Driesen and Minister Neudorf for their dedication in Champion Aero Utilities Train 4
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plant expansion. The leadership you have both individually shown in this vital project has
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been a critical part of its success. So thank you very much. I'm also grateful to the Aero Utilities
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board members for their commitment and vision as you work together to transform Aero Utilities
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this past year to be better prepared to support local industries. So thank you very much all the
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board members here today as well i want to thank all the elected officials and we see many of them
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here today and their councils who have supported its cause and operations and finally to the expert
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team at arrow utilities your hard work keeps the systems running it sparks innovation and
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bold thinking about what we can achieve through water circularity today's investment of 50 million
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allows arrow and its member municipalities its businesses and industries that call our region
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home to become better stewards for our water resources it will mean in the city of spruce
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grove that we will be able to confidently welcome new residents and economic growth
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knowing that we will have reliable wastewater infrastructure for generations to come
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something that has never been more important as our communities contend with record low water
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levels as and as both my municipality and those across our capital region continue planning for
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our future this investment today brings confidence that whatever we face we have partners at the
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table to weather the storm partners like the government of alberta
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it is windy so thank you again for your leadership both of you and to the province
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because investments like this one will surely set us up for success today and into the years to come
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So I'm now going to turn this over to Kate our CEO at Aero Utilities for her final remarks.
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As Mayor Acker mentioned my name is Kate Polkovsky and for nearly three years I've served as a CEO
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for Aero Utilities. This is truly an exciting moment for the organization and our region.
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As we look to the future of Aero Utilities and view how we treat our water resource,
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it's incredible to know that our provincial partners share our vision and are willing
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to step forward with us to make it happen. I want to first thank Minister Dreschen and Minister
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Nurdor for their dedication in championing air utilities trained for plant expansion.
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The leadership you have both shown in this vital project has been critical
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to our part of our part of our success. I am also grateful to the air utilities board of directors.
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This past year there's been transformational change and we're better prepared to support our
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future sustainable development where we've got a strong water availability and serves as a vital
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resource for our region and the province of alberta i also be remiss to not thank the elected
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officials from remember municipalities who have consistently supported us throughout our operations
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and our cause i want to acknowledge both associate engineering for their work in the design element
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and for pcl in their outstanding work thus far as our dedicated contractor
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and to all of my members and colleagues of air utilities it's unreal the hard work and
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dedication you put forth to both the project and the continuous improvement initiatives to support
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both water circularity and innovation within the commission but perhaps the most important
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but most importantly it's helping us change the conversation of how we think and use water as
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responsible albertans planning for our future as we move into what's shaping into a challenging
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drought season these conversations are becoming more valuable than they ever were before
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we thank the government of alberta for not shying away from the challenge but instead mobilizing
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communities and making smart investment decisions like this one that sets us up for success and
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well into the future i want to also thank you all for joining us and turn it over to jesse for
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questions okay with that we're going to now turn over to questions from the media we're going to
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start with reporters here in person and then we'll move over to the phone lines please state your
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name and the outlet you're with and a reminder we're going to be doing one question one follow-up
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so a first question please please step up to the mic okay seeing no questions we're going to turn
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over to the phone lines operator can you please put through the first caller
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good morning uh it's bob weber from the canadian press this is a question for minister newdorf
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uh minister late last week we got a first look at the map your department has drawn to uh i
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guess direct the development of renewable energy in the province uh my first question is i i'd like
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to know what kind of research or or study or or or justification your department went through to
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well we we went through our pristine view escapes and what that means to albertans which is
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predominantly our foothills and rocky mountains and we added the 35 kilometer buffer zone for that
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we also took care to protect our unesco world heritage sites and made sure that we were taking
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those into consideration and from that we developed the map with a lot of input from our
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regulators and industry and that's what you see. Minister, those lines were meant to protect
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viewscapes but those viewscapes have been logged, drilled, mined, grazed, cut-lined. What makes
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solar and wind development uh so different that they have to be uh they have to be legislated
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out of existence for those for those areas well they're not uh it only applies to vertical impact
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which is wind all other developments already had visual impact assessments and we just clarified
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those for for all those developments that are going in there and again good principles that
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we can apply today we'll continue to do that across other industries as needed
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Okay, Opera, can you please put through the next caller?
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I have some fairly nuts and bolts questions about the wastewater treatment plant.
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So the $50 million, if you could just clarify for me whether that's over one budget year,
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multiple budget years, and how far that goes, how does that compare to the complete cost
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of the expansion project and where if there's other sources of funding what
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are those sources of funding sure yeah budget 20 thanks Janice budget 24 has
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10 10 and 30 of the three out years for this 50 million dollar project and that's
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just the because the construction project on is underway obviously you can
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see it's it's early stages now so as it gets farther on and it's couldn't build
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out that's where they'll need additional funding but that's the that's the
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provinces grant going towards area utilities for this overall project and
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because that 50 million is being covered by the province that that is where we're
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going to see the savings for all the municipalities in this region so that
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they won't have to recoup that money through the ratepayers through through
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higher higher utility charges going forward and for your second question
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a suggestion that kate would explain more about this but about the cost of bills going down so
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what's the timeline for people consuming water in this area to actually see a noticeable reduction
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in their water bills we're probably too early to really define any reduction in utility bills
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locally the project's scheduled to be finalized in 2025 to which then the sale of water reuse will
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be going to industry um currently we're working on the reuse rate with a third-party contractor
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which will be a direct input to those um dollars and projections but we're probably too early to
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really project what any reduction would be or how it would stabilize the wastewater rate long term
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because it's really a long-term game as opposed to a short-term win okay operator can you please
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put through the next caller there are no other questions in the queue at this time okay and with
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with that, that ends our announcement for the day.