Article content continued

“The federal government has recognized that water and wastewater is a huge issue right across the country,” Fassbender said in an interview Thursday after confirming Victoria’s contribution to the fund.

“We have lot of pent-up demand, there are a lot of communities with aging infrastructure and boiled-water advisories.”

The ministers will release an initial list of 35 approved projects totalling $72 million, with most being relatively small initiatives far from Metro Vancouver, where the Liberals won the vast majority of their 17 B.C. seats.

We have lot of pent-up demand, there are a lot of communities with aging infrastructure and boiled-water advisories’ — Peter Fassbender

Projects include replacing a water tower in Burns Lake and upgrading water treatment facilities in Dawson Creek and Parksville. Work for most is expected to start either later this year or in early 2017.

Sohi said Ottawa is not showing regional favouritism as it works with the province and municipalities in determining priorities.

“In my mind infrastructure is about building communities, it is about providing a quality of life for citizens,” said Sohi, a soft-spoken former Edmonton bus driver, city councillor and amateur actor.

“This is not about partisanship. This is not about us focusing where our seats are.”

The $225-million share comes out of a $2-billion fund announced in the 2016 federal budget. B.C.’s slice represents a little over 11 per cent of national total, even though B.C. has about 13 per cent of the country’s population.

However, officials note that the province received a special additional allocation of $212 million in the 2016 budget to fund one-third of the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant project, a top priority of Metro Vancouver mayors.