Lakeshore commits more than $76M for wastewater plant and sewer expansions

At its May 12 meeting, council approved more than $69 million beginning in 2027 to replace the aging Stoney Point Sewage Lagoons, which serve eastern communities including Comber and Stoney Point/Pointe-aux-Roches. An additional $7 million was committed for the Belle River Sanitary Sewer Expansion, known as Conveyance Group 3, beginning in 2030.

The approvals build on a separate $92-million sanitary trunk project approved last year that will extend from the pollution control plant in Belle River along the County Road 22 corridor to the edge of Lakeshore.

Lakeshore officials say the projects are intended to resolve major wastewater capacity challenges that have constrained development in eastern Lakeshore for years. The municipality’s population currently sits at about 43,000 residents.

The projects were identified as priorities in Lakeshore’s Water and Wastewater Master Plan, which council adopted in 2024. The municipality estimates the full cost of implementing the plan at approximately $211 million over five years.

Mayor Tracey Bailey said the investment marks a significant step toward modernizing infrastructure after decades of underfunding.

“The commitment is huge for Lakeshore and its residents,” Bailey said in a statement. “Council has continued to make the bold decisions that are needed to dig us out of decades of underfunding infrastructure, while also positioning us well for the future.”

Interim Chief Administrative Officer Justin Rousseau said the funding commitment provides certainty as the municipality advances several major projects simultaneously.

“There is certainly a lot of work to be done, but the funding commitment ensures we have the stability to move forward with these critical projects,” Rousseau said. “These investments, and the success we have seen over the past two years, reflects the incredible amount of work that has happened behind the scenes, by both staff and Council, to get us to where we are today.”

According to the municipality, the infrastructure upgrades will replace systems dating back to 1978 and create servicing capacity for approximately 14,000 new homes.

Council also approved development of a debt financing strategy and additional staffing resources to support project delivery.

Several engineering and construction projects are now moving ahead, including a new environmental assessment for the proposed common sewage treatment facility at Stoney Point, engineering design work for Wastewater Conveyance Groups 2 and 3, and watermain replacement projects in Comber and Stoney Point.

Among the approved initiatives are:

• $350,000 for a new environmental assessment for the Stoney Point sewage treatment facility;
• $545,000 for engineering design work tied to Belle River forcemain and pumping station upgrades under Conveyance Group 3;
• More than $3 million for engineering design associated with County Road 22 sanitary trunk and pumping station upgrades under Conveyance Group 2;
• $8 million for Phase 1B of the Comber Sideroad watermain replacement project;
• $800,000 for design work related to a future Stoney Point-to-Comber watermain replacement and new water tower planned for 2029; and
• More than $4.3 million for design work on a new eastern communities sanitary treatment plant.

Mayor Bailey also highlighted the municipality’s recent success in securing outside funding support. Since 2025, Lakeshore has obtained nearly $80 million in provincial and federal grant funding for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. That includes approximately $36.8 million through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, more than $32.2 million through the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund for Wastewater Conveyance Groups 1 and 2, and more than $7.4 million through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund’s second round. Municipal administration has confirmed that the grants can be stacked to support the projects.

Bailey said the grant funding has also helped reduce projected impacts on ratepayers.