Madam Speaker, the Halifax harbour solutions project, known to most residents simply as the Harbour cleanup, is finally progressing after years of delay. Successive city councils, provincial and federal governments have debated the merits of different approaches and cost sharing arrangements for almost my entire life.
The plan currently before city council calls for the construction of two or three treatment plants around the city. The plants would be used to turn some 180 million litres of effluent that are produced every day into water that could safely flow into the harbour. Once the flow of untreated waste stops, the clock on 250 years of abuse would slowly return back as the harbour cleans itself.
I strongly encourage the ministers responsible to give this project the consideration it deserves as they prepare for Monday's budget.