Province spending $22M on dam repairs, including in northern Ont.

The Ontario government is providing $22 million to reconstruct six dams in the province, including four in northern Ontario.

“Our government is taking action to ensure we have infrastructure in place to protect people and communities across Ontario,” Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, said in a news release Friday.

“With this investment, we will be able to ensure these dams continue to meet provincial standards and prevent significant environmental, financial and public safety issues associated with dam failure.”

The dams being reconstructed in northern Ontario are the Agimak Lake Dam in the Township of Ignace; Manitou River Dam on Manitoulin Island; Kashegaba Lake Dam in the Municipality of Whitestone; and, Magnetawan Lake Dams in the Village of Magnetawan.

The other two dams are in the south -- Baptiste Lake Dam in the Town of Bancroft and Lyndhurst Dam in the Village of Lyndhurst.

"Properly maintained dam infrastructure protects the well being of Ontarios, it provides economic benefit, it protects the environment and it reduces the likelihood of a potential failure," said Smith during the official announcement.

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“The reconstruction of these six dams has been identified in the ministry’s long-term infrastructure plan as critical priorities to support public safety and the environment,” the news release said.

The rehabilitation of the six dams will extend the service life of each for up to 100 years.