Investment of $473,484 to relocate the Maison des jeunes du Bas-Saint-François

Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF)

Saint-François-du-Lac, November 17, 2006 – Acting on behalf of Nathalie Normandeau, Quebec's Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions, André Gabias, Member of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières and Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministre du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation, today joined Luc Harvey, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, acting on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, in announcing that the Maison des jeunes du Bas-Saint-François will receive $315,656 in combined government funding under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) toward the construction of a new building to house the youth centre.

The project consists mainly of the construction of a 4,452 square-foot building that will include a recreation area, a multi-purpose hall, a video game and television room, and a reading room, as well as the various offices and services needed to adequately meet user needs. The relocation of this centre will benefit some 600 local youths aged 12 to 17 years.    

“I am convinced that this project will have a positive social impact on the young people from the municipality and surrounding areas. More than ever before, the Maison des jeunes, a veritable hub of animation and information, will serve as a focal point where the area's youth can gather and grow,” stated André Gabias.

“Young people from Bas-Saint-François will now have the ideal place to develop and forge close ties with their peers. The “new” Maison des jeunes, devised and designed for our youth, is sure to breathe new life and vitality into the region as a whole,” noted Luc Harvey.

Completion of this project will require a total eligible investment of $473,484 under component 3 of the MRIF. As such, the governments of Quebec and of Canada will each contribute $157,828 toward this initiative, for a total of $315,656 in combined government assistance, while the organization itself will assume $157,828 of the project's costs. 

Established more than 10 years ago, the Maison des jeunes du Bas-Saint-François offers a variety of services to the area's youth, ranging from regular activities like billiards to awareness-raising and counselling and support services. The steady growth of its clientele has necessitated the centre's relocation to larger premises.

The Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is a $390 million cost-sharing initiative of the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada to help finance municipal infrastructure projects in Quebec. With the financial participation of municipalities, this initiative could result in investments of nearly $576 million for infrastructure work in the province. The objectives of the MRIF are to upgrade community infrastructure, improve the quality of the environment, promote long-term economic growth and enhance citizens' quality of life.

Implementation of the MRIF in Quebec is the result of a joint agreement signed by the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada in July 2005. The program, which is in force until March 31, 2010, is administered by Quebec's Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions. Canada Economic Development is responsible for delivering the federal portion of the MRIF on behalf of the Government of Canada.

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Source:            

Christine Poirier Laberge
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions
514-873-3687

Information:

Jonathan Trudeau
Press Secretary
Office of the Ministre des Affaires municipales et des Régions
418-691-2050

Roxane Marchand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Canada Economic Development
819-953-5646
613-816-5094

Nadja Raphaël
Communications Advisor
Canada Economic Development
514-283-2634