25 September 2009
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced a $346,500 investment through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) for the creation of an interpretive site at the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University.
“The work of Father Moses Coady and the Coady International Institute has created a lasting economic legacy for Antigonish, the region and around the globe,” said Minster MacKay. “Investments such as this and others through our government's Economic Action Plan continue to provide timely and targeted stimulus to communities across Canada.”
The project, which officially opens this weekend, involved the design, fabrication and installation of interpretative displays to be housed in the Institute’s newest section, the Coady International Centre. The displays will work to engage visitors and convey the significance of the Institute from the legacy of Father Moses Coady to its global impact today. The Centre itself also includes 55,000 square feet of classroom, research, library, meeting and conference space.
St. Francis Xavier University is known internationally as the home of the Coady International Institute – a centre of excellence in community-based development since 1959. The Institute is named in honor of Rev. Dr. Moses Coady who, along with Father Jimmy Tompkins, was a prominent founder of the Antigonish Movement, a people's movement for economic and social justice that began in Nova Scotia during the 1920s. Coady graduates can be found around the world.
“The Coady International Institute is an Atlantic Canadian based global centre for leadership development that has been reaching out to the world through our 5000 graduates in 130 countries for the last 50 years,” said Mary Coyle, the Institute’s Director. “The Coady Institute Interpretive Site will bring to life our deep roots in successful community economic innovation, born in the Antigonish movement, and enable us to share our story with visitors”.
ACOA’s investment is being made through the Innovative Communities Fund, which focuses on investments that lead to long-term employment and economic capacity building in rural communities.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
National Defence Minister Peter MacKay today announced a Government of Canada investment of over $346,000 in the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University. The investment supported the creation of an interpretive site at the Coady Institute’s new International Centre. The interpretive panels are designed to convey the institute’s significance globally.
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INFORMATION:
David Harrigan
Senior Communications Officer
ACOA Nova Scotia
902-426-4238
Mary Coyle
Executive Director
Coady International Institute
902-867-3980
