Q-545 , 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to access to safe drinking water in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, federal infrastructure investments in the riding of Long Range Mountains, and Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations: (a) how many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are currently under boil water advisories; (b) what are the names and federal ridings of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador under a boil water advisory and how long has the advisory been in place; (c) what specific federal funding programs are currently available to assist rural Newfoundland and Labrador communities in upgrading aging water systems; (d) how much federal funding has been allocated to water infrastructure projects in Newfoundland and Labrador since 2020, broken down by (i) year, (ii) project; (e) has the government assessed the public health or economic impacts of persistent boil water advisories in rural Newfoundland and Labrador communities, and, if so, what were the findings; (f) what is the government doing to ensure Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in rural and coastal Newfoundland and Labrador have equitable access to safe drinking water; (g) broken down by community and project, how much federal funding, and from which specific funding sources, has been allocated to (i) water, (ii) wastewater, infrastructure projects in the riding of Long Range Mountains since 2020; (h) what support is available for smaller towns, villages, or communities in Long Range Mountains that lack a tax base or technical expertise to apply for federal infrastructure funding; (i) is the government currently considering any policy changes to streamline infrastructure application processes for rural communities with limited administrative capacity; (j) how many and which municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador are currently non-compliant with Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, and what are the reasons for non-compliance; (k) how many and which of the non-compliant municipalities have received Transitional Authorizations, and what supports are in place to help them meet federal compliance; (I) what is the projected cost to bring all non-compliant municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador into compliance, and what proportion of that cost will be covered by federal programs; and (m) has the government conducted any infrastructure readiness assessments in Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities to determine funding and technical support needs for wastewater upgrades, and, if so, what were the results of the assessments?