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Grants Available for settlements that need power

Author

Dorothy Schreiber, Alberta

Volume

6

Issue

1

Year

1988

Page 1

Metis settlements to get electrified

Metis settlement residents are now eligible to receive grants under a $14-million rural electrification program (REP), for all Alberta farmers, which will assist in opening up unused land for farm development and provide 100 per cent grants for residential services.

Most settlements contacted by Windspeaker say they are accessing the program to bring power to individual homes.

Paddle Prairie recently received verbal approval for about $61,000 from the program administered by Alberta Transportation and Utilities for power line expansions to five settlement homes.

"It sure helps us because we're having problems with electricity," says settlement advisor Everett Lambert, adding that two of the homes now receive power from fuel generators.

Kikino settlement is also planning to utilize the program for three settlement members who require power immediately. The settlement is planning to submit a budget of about $14,000 before the end of this month, says chairman Floyd Thompson. Although they have not actually utilized the program, he is optimistic.

"I'm sure it's going to be a little bit better. What we were getting in the past was barely sufficient to meet the new housing needs. Last year our budget for powerline extension was only $8,000. Settlement members have had to build homes close to existing power lines but Thompson hopes that REP will make it financially possible for settlement members to move into unused areas of Kikino.

A spokesman for East Prairie says they will also use the grant to extend power to new homes being built on the settlement.

The sum of $165,000 has been tentatively approved for electrification projects on four settlements since the January announcement that the REP program would include the Metis settlements.

Fishing Lake, East Prairie, Buffalo Lake (Caslan) and Paddle Prairie submitted requests before the end of this fiscal year and other settlements applying for grants will be considered under next year's budget of $285,000, explains John Mann, director of the Rural Electric Branch.

Elizabeth chairman Archie Collins says the new budget which will be divided between the settlements and land tenure program is not enough to meet the settlements and land tenure program is not enough to meet the settlements.

"It's peanuts," he says, explaining that it costs almost $10,000 per mile to install power lines in rural areas and each settlement needs between five to 15 miles of line extension to provide proper land development.

Mann admits the budget is not enough but points out it is an ongoing program.

"There's quite a pent-up demand," for electrification dollars and "right now the demand of all the settlements far exceeds the dollars. But by them priorizing and bringing the benefits to more and more families, eventually they'll be there," he explains.

The REA program will cover 100 per cent of the costs for residential services and will cost share services for farmers.

For example, if a service were to cost $25,000, the settlement farmer or settlement would be responsible for 25 per cent or $6,250 and the remainder would be covered by the rural electrification revolving fund, and a grant from the land tenure electrification program.

In the past, settlements received funds from Municipal Affairs for water and sewers, and surplus monies left over from these infrastructure projects was put towards electrification.

Mann says the former method of supplying power to the settlements didn't allow for any kind of planning.

"I think now that there's an ongoing program they can start to make some reasonable planning and start the development of the settlement."