Government of Canada grants $600,000 to Village Québécois d’Antan for new on-site family recreation area

Drummondville, Quebec, July 12, 2010 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today announced $600,000 in non-repayable funding to Village Québécois d’Antan. Awarded through the Community Adjustment Fund provided for under Canada's Economic Action Plan, this financial assistance will enable the organization to set up a family recreation area on the site. This initiative comes on the heels of the first phase of a project launched in 2008 to restore the village's historical buildings.

More specifically, Village Québécois d’Antan intends to use this funding to install a water play area and build facilities to house restaurant counters, changing rooms, rest areas and storage rooms. Landscaping work will also be carried out on the site.

"The project to create a family recreation area at Village Québécois d’Antan will allow the organization to maintain four seasonal jobs while opening up 10 temporary positions for subcontractors during the construction phase. Another five seasonal jobs will also need to be created to operate the new facility once it opens in 2011. The Government of Canada has been a proud supporter of this large-scale attraction, a feather in the cap of the Centre-du-Québec tourism industry, since 1998," explained Minister Lebel.

From its prime location on the banks of the Saint-François River, Village Québécois d’Antan features 70 authentic buildings that together recreate life as it would have been in a 19th century Quebec village. Built more than 30 years ago, the attraction showcases such aspects of the province's cultural heritage as its habits and customs, professions, folklore and traditional dress.

"Thanks to the special measures in Canada's Economic Action Plan, the Canadian economy is starting to recover even while the situation remains fragile in the global economy. Implementation of Phase II of our plan will help further lay the foundations for solid long-term economic growth and job creation. By 2011, this plan will have resulted in nearly $62 billion in funding being injected into our economy," concluded the Minister of State.

For more on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

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Sources:

Lyne Montpellier
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-371-5138 or 1-800-567-8637
E-mail: lyne.montpellier@dec-ced.gc.ca

Ève Cardinal
Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-997-3319
E-mail: eve.cardinal@dec-ced.gc.ca