Governments of Quebec and Canada invest $80,628 in the Municipality of Saint Pierre-de-Broughton

Canada-Quebec Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program Agreement

Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton, Quebec, Monday, March 1, 2010 – Residents of the Municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton will soon benefit from improved sports and recreational infrastructure in the form of a renovated Broughton-Station park and a new skating rink chalet in the village centre, today jointly announced the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Mégantic–L’Érable, and Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy.

The project, the total cost of which stands at $120,942, will be carried out thanks to a government investment of $80,628. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $40,314 toward the work, with the Municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton also assuming $40,314 of the project’s costs.

The improvements involve rebuilding the skating rink chalet in the village centre and renovating the Broughton-Station park. In the summer months, the new chalet will also serve as the site for day-camp activities and the skating rink area will be used for the practice of such sports as volleyball. School-aged children will be able to enjoy the playground structures in Broughton-Station park while, in the winter months, the skating rink will benefit residents of all ages. By refurbishing these facilities, the municipality hopes to increase the quality of life of its citizens and encourage them to get active, play ice sports and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

“The Government of Canada is proud to lend its financial support to projects that, like this one, serve to improve the quality of life in our communities. This project to rebuild the skating rink chalet and renovate Broughton-Station park is the fruit of concerted efforts by local stakeholders. Our funding has been awarded under the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, an initiative through which we have committed to investing $500 million over two years in the modernization of our sports and recreational facilities across the country,” noted Minister Paradis.

“This financial assistance will allow us to carry out projects that are the result of a process launched more than two years ago and that promise to help build a sense of belonging among our new families in the district. Without the support of our governments, we would be unable to move forward with this initiative to make physical activity more accessible to our community’s young and old alike,” added Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton Mayor Nicole Bourque.

“I am delighted that our governments are working together with the Municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton to upgrade recreational infrastructure that will meet the needs of residents in a sustainable development perspective. These sports facilities will be getting a major facelift! We are thus encouraging citizens to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle,” explained Minister Lessard.

The governments of Canada and Quebec signed an agreement to accelerate the execution of recreational infrastructure projects in Quebec over the next two years. To that end, the Government of Canada will invest $76 million and the Government of Quebec at least that amount in recreational infrastructure projects carried out in cost-sharing partnership with municipal administrations or local organizations. These investments are thus expected to generate greater financial leverage, as is the case with the other infrastructure programs.

The funding announced today has been awarded through the Government of Canada’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program and the Government of Quebec’s Programme Infrastructures de loisirs.

The Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan adopted by the federal government in January 2009, is intended to stimulate immediate economic recovery and reduce the short-term impacts of the global recession. Government investment in this area will help create new jobs and improve the population’s health and quality of life. For more on this plan, see www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For further details on the state of advancement of the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, visit www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.

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Sources:

Sylvain Bourassa
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy
Tel.: 418-691-2050

Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236