October 1, 2004 Tignish, Prince Edward Island The area surrounding the Tignish Heritage Inn has been transformed into a community garden. The Gardens at the Tignish Heritage Inn, which were opened today, are one aspect of a project to help revitalize the downtown core. "Enhancing the image and atmosphere of the Tignish downtown area will make it more attractive to residents and visitors alike," said the Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "The gardens and other planned improvements will give people a stronger sense of the culture, businesses and pride that characterizes Tignish." The community garden is just one of the recommendations which are being implemented from a recently completed Tignish Downtown Enhancement Study. Work will be done in cooperation with downtown business owners to re-align parking, add benches and interpretive signage and carry out additional painting and repairs. "The community of Tignish is doing an excellent job of coming together to revitalize their downtown area," said Eva Rodgerson, MLA West-Point Bloomfield on behalf of the Honourable Gail Shea, MLA for Tignish-Deblois. "This area is well-known for its strong community spirit and it's wonderful to see such a great example of what that spirit can accomplish." "The gardens are a wonderful new addition to our community. We look forward to getting the other improvements underway," said Anne Arsenault, general manager, Tignish Initiatives. "We are bringing new life to our downtown and we are hopeful that people in the community will get involved with this initiative." Federal funding for this project is being provided by ACOA and HRSDC. ACOA is providing $82,100 through the Strategic Community Investment Fund (SCIF) which includes the "Island Streetscapes Initiative" whose key purpose is to effect downtown and waterfront revitalization in order to support overall community development and tourism enhancement - to act as a catalyst for continued private sector investment in the community. The Canada/PEI Labour Market Development Agreement, co-managed by HRSDC and the provincial Department of Development and Technology is contributing $52,500 toward participant wages and overhead costs. The provincial government is providing $25,000 through the Community Development Bureau. Tignish Initiatives, with partners in the community, are contributing $25,000 to the project. - 30 - Ron Crozier Office of the Minister of ACOA (902) 888-4150 Lynn MacDonald ACOA PEI and Tourism (902) 566-7491 Stephen Ramsay HRSD (902) 566-7686 Ann Thurlow PEI Department of Development and Technology (902) 569-0571 Anne Arsenault Tignish Initiatives (902) 882-2230
