Officials from Enbridge Inc. gather with representatives of the various groups from Kerrobert receiving grants from the company’s community investment program (above). Enbridge donated a total of $75,000 to the groups in Kerrobert, including $50,000 for swimming pool upgrades, $15,000 to help buy a new mobility bus and $10,000 for Pioneers Haven seniors centre. Below, officials from Enbridge Inc. gather with representatives of the various groups from Kindersley receiving grants from the community investment tied to the Line 3 Replacement Program. Enbridge donated a total of $84,000 to the groups in Kindersley, including $40,000 to the Kindersley Aquatics Centre, $10,000 each to NRC Management Inc., West Central Abilities Inc. and the Downtown Kindersley Association, $7,500 to Westberry Elementary School and $6,500 to the Kindersley & District Food Bank.
Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads
Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 Replacement Program (L3RP) is ongoing in the west central region, and the pipeline company has been generous to communities in the area.
The work on Spread 2 of L3RP is about to pick up in the Kindersley area in July. The project has nine construction spreads in total with work starting on several spreads last year and work continuing on the remaining spreads this year.
Several towns and villages in the west central region have benefitted from a community investment program tied to L3RP. Enbridge completed work on Spread 1 from Hardisty, Alta., to the Luseland area and on Spread 3 from the Rosetown area to near Regina. Spread 2 is from the Luseland area to the Rosetown area.
The company’s investment program supports communities along the right-of-ways for each spread. The towns of Kindersley and Kerrobert, and villages of Coleville, Dodsland, Herschel and Plenty have all benefited from the community investment program in 2018.
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Recipients in Kindersley received a total of $84,000 from Enbridge. The breakdown is $40,000 to the Kindersley Aquatics Centre project, $10,000 each to NRC Management Inc. for upgrades at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre, to the West Central Abilities Inc. building project and to the Downtown Kindersley Association for a beautification project, $7,500 to Westberry Elementary School for playground upgrades, and $6,500 to the Kindersley & District Food Bank.
Recipients in Kerrobert received a total of $75,000. The breakdown is $50,000 for upgrades to the community’s swimming pool, $15,000 for the purchase of a new mobility bus, and $10,000 to the Pioneers Haven senior centre.
The company donated a total of $15,000 to recipients in Dodsland including $8,000 for the village’s playground project, $5,000 for new automated external defibrillators, and $2,000 for library repairs. A total of $10,000 was donated to the Village of Coleville for an upgrade to the skating rink.
A total of $10,000 was donated to the Herschel Memorial Hall Co-operative Ltd. for furnace replacement project at the Herschel Memorial Hall and $5,000 went to the Community Recreation Organization of Plenty for a washroom project at the Plenty Memorial Arena.
Enbridge, in total, has donated $199,000 to support projects and purchases in six communities in the region in 2018. The investment program supported projects and purchases in several other area communities in 2017 including Rosetown, Macklin, Luseland, Milden, Conquest and Outlook.
The company’s L3RP community investment program is providing $1.35 million to communities in 2018 in addition to approximately $600,000 in 2017. The total community investment for the project is about $2.6 million, according to Enbridge.
Suzanne Wilton, a company spokesperson, said the community investment program has been in place for several years and Enbridge has a long history of investing in communities. She said the company takes funding applications on an annual basis from groups in communities where its employees live and work.
She noted that the funding goes to support initiatives that align with the three core areas the company is “focused on strengthening” and the core areas are environment, community and safety. Investments in the area are project specific.
“The funds that we’ve announced for these recent initiatives are over and above what we contribute every year to communities, so these are specific to the (L3RP) project,” Wilton said, recognizing that funds were being rolled out over the lifespan of the project.
The spokesperson said the company has a regular community investment program to support communities where its employees and facilities are located, but the L3RP funds are extra. It was explained that the company looks to community leaders to determine the local needs for the communities.
Wilton said the communities let Enbridge know their priorities and the company aligns the priorities with the core areas it supports. The core areas align with the company’s values and focus, and it is nice to help, she said.
“We’re very excited to be able to contribute to those communities,” she said, adding that the company recognizes it has a responsibility to support the communities where its employees live. “This is all really about being a good neighbour and contributing to the community.”
She noted that the communities have been very grateful for the funding and it has gone to support a wide range of initiatives to help improve the quality of life in those communities. The investments are supporting recreational facilities, community hall projects, schools, libraries, museums, first responders such as fire departments and others. It is a lasting and long-term contribution to strengthen communities, Wilton added.
Mayor Rod Perkins of Kindersley showed his appreciation for the company’s investment in the community at a gathering on June 19. Other groups such as the Village of Dodsland have also expressed gratitude and appreciation for the company’s investments in their communities.
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