Ontario Invests $1.5 Million in Critical Water Infrastructure in the Township of Champlain

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Two Council members and mayor along with Director of Public Works and CAO with MPP Stéphane Sarrazin presenting a cheque for $1 558 583 at Champlain Town Hall

Champlain, February 9, 2026 — Today, MPP Stéphane Sarrazin met with Mayor Normand Riopel to announce that the Government of Ontario is investing up to $1.5 million in the rehabilitation of water infrastructure in the Township of Champlain.

The funding comes from the province’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program’s Health and Safety Water Stream (MHIP-HSWS), which has increased by $700 million for a total of $875 million to support access to safe drinking water, housing, job creation and protection for communities in the event of extreme weather events in Ontario.

“The rehabilitation of the L’Orignal Sanitary Sewer System is a vital project to ensure
safe, reliable wastewater services for our community. Modern infrastructure is key to
protecting public health, supporting local growth, and providing residents with high quality
services. Our government is proud to work with the Township of Champlain to
deliver these improvements, which will benefit the community for many years,” said
Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

The funding will be used to upgrade and re-line the Township of Champlain’s sanitary
sewer system in L’Orignal, improving reliability, reducing maintenance costs, and
increasing resilience to extreme weather. The investment will also create capacity for
future residential development, supporting the township’s long-term growth.

“This additional funding allows the Township of Champlain to expand the scope of a
planned infrastructure renewal project in L’Orignal to include more streets. By moving
forward with a broader program, we are strengthening the resilience of our sanitary
system, supporting responsible growth, and ensuring our infrastructure is prepared to
serve the community well into the future.” said Normand Riopel, Mayor of the Township
of Champlain.

This funding is part of a historic investment of $4 billion in the Municipal Housing
Infrastructure Program (MHIP), included in Ontario’s $220 billion capital plan, the most
ambitious in the province’s history, to build transit, highways, hospitals, schools and
water infrastructure that enables new housing.

Quick facts

In August 2025, Ontario increased the MHIP to $4 billion to speed up construction of
homes and core infrastructure, such as roads and water systems. Since its launch in
2024, the MHIP has made about 800,000 more new homes possible.
The MHIP is comprised of four funding streams: the Housing-Enabling Water
Systems Fund (HEWSF), the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing (HECS) Stream, the
Health and Safety Water Stream (HSWS) and the Agriculture and Irrigation Stream.
In January 2025, Ontario announced an initial investment of $175 million to launch
the HSWS.

Photo (left to right): Gerry Miner, Councilor (Ward 4, West Hawkesbury); Maxime Lafrance, Director of Public Works; Normand Riopel, Mayor; Stéphane Sarrazin, Provincial Member of Parliament; Paul Burroughs, Councilor (Ward 3, Longueuil); and Kevin Tessier, Chief Executive Officer.