Several community members and other interested parties have asked for information on how they can let the government know of their shock and disapproval about its refusal to provide Westport with the OCIF grant and specifically have asked for some assistance in authoring the letter.

There are 4 Ministers who’s responsibilities overlap somewhat in relation to the OCIF grants, environment and infrastructure.  I recommend sending correspondence to Minister B Duguid.  Here are his details.

The following paragraphs are only suggestions for your correspondence.  Please know that we are indebted to each person who takes the time to share their disappointment with the government’s decision to deny the OCIF grant.

The Village of Westport continues to confront an environmental and public health crisis. The municipal wastewater system is unable to dispose of necessary volumes of effluent to prevent storage overflow and costly haulage of effluent has already been required this winter. Village Council and staff, working hand in hand with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, have taken several major steps toward correcting this situation. Now, with the engineering solution in sight as a result of an environmental assessment process, the Village’s OCIF capital grant application was turned down.

The townspeople of this small village do not have the money to cover the major costs of this work. The problem continues to be an urgent one from both a public health and environmental point of view. Capital funding assistance is essential to eliminate this imminent threat and I am asking you to reconsider the application from the Village of Westport.