March 18, 2005 Stratford, Prince Edward Island The Town of Stratford, with the support of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), has hired an urban design firm to facilitate the development of a core area plan to lead the development of the downtown for the coming decades. Since its incorporation in 1995, the Town of Stratford has experienced rapid growth in its population. While a master plan is important for any community, the need for a core area plan has become increasingly important for Stratford as development continues at a rapid pace. As the third most populous municipality in Prince Edward Island, a land use plan and vision for the future of downtown Stratford has become critical. "The Government of Canada is pleased to support this initiative to establish a core area vision to direct the future growth of the Town of Stratford," noted Lawrence MacAulay, Member of Parliament for Cardigan, on behalf of ACOA. "The decisions made in the coming months will launch a vision and a plan that will create many opportunities for both current and future residents of Stratford." The Town has secured the services of Urban Strategies Inc., a Toronto-based urban design firm that has undertaken projects across Canada, in the United Kingdom and in the Caribbean. The firm has an international reputation for innovative and award-winning master plan projects including a Planning Excellence Award for the recently developed Saint John Inner Harbour Land Use Plan. "We're very pleased to have Urban Strategies assisting us in developing a master plan for the development of downtown Stratford," said Kevin Jenkins, Mayor of Stratford. Throughout this past week, the firm has helped facilitate daily roundtable discussions involving residents and leaders in strategic areas such as economic development, culture, tourism and recreation. I am certain with this active participation we will have a sound strategy from which to develop our city's downtown core for many decades to come." ACOA is providing a non-repayable contribution of $37,500 to the Town of Stratford through the Business Development Program. The Town of Stratford is providing the remaining $12,500 toward this project. - 30 - For more information, please contact: Ron Crozier Office of the Minister for ACOA (902) 888-4150 Robert Hughes, Chief Administrator Town of Stratford (902) 569-4279 Wes Harrison ACOA PEI & Tourism (902) 368-0842 wes.harrison@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
