Two Municipalities Agree to Inter-municipal Water Servicing Project

On June 30, 2004, the Corporation of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury (BWG) and the Corporation of the Town of Innisfil entered into an agreement for an inter-municipal water servicing project to provide for the joint supply of water to Innisfil and BWG estimated to cost $25 million. The agreement, providing for a major joint infrastructure project between the two municipalities, constitutes one of the first of its kind under the Municipal Act, 2001.

Under the agreement, Innisfil agrees to expand its water treatment plant in stages and to build a watermain south from the water treatment plant to the boundary with BWG, in order to supply water to BWG. BWG agrees to up-front the costs of expansion and construction in order to commence the project sooner than Innisfil would have otherwise required so as to facilitate the development of lands in BWG that could not otherwise have been developed due to an insufficient water supply. Because the project will supply both Innisfil and BWG, the agreement requires that a trustee agreed upon by the parties be put in place to address any issues that arise with respect to the maintenance and operation of the water treatment plant and watermain.

BWG was represented by Aird & Berlis, with a team that included Robert Doumani, Norman Kahn, Marc McClean and Barbara Lawrie. Innisfil was represented by Graham, Wilson & Green of Barrie, Ontario, with a team that included Marshall Green, George Cameron and Tom Tsakopoulos.