Montréal, Quebec, September 25, 2009 –; Grier Park in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough will soon have a new synthetic soccer field, today jointly announced Yolande James, Quebec Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities, on behalf of her colleague Michelle Courchesne, Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, and the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development. The project, the total cost of which stands at $1,350,071, will be carried out thanks to $643,838 in combined government funding contributed in equal part by the governments of Quebec and Canada.
The project, which involves replacing the natural surface of the park’s soccer field with synthetic grass, will benefit the entire Pierrefonds-Roxboro population of more than 65,000 residents. Converting to synthetic grass will make it possible to increase the usable hours of the field while improving the quality of the playing surface.
“Many of our recreational facilities have become outdated and are in need of renovation. However, in a recessionary period like the one we are experiencing, it is difficult for most municipalities to assume the costs of such projects. Through our Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program provided for under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, $500 million will be invested over two years in the modernization of our sports facilities across the country. This support for Grier Park is a concrete example of our government’s actions. I am delighted to see this project move forward because I know it will significantly improve the quality of the living environment for Pierrefonds-Roxboro residents,” explained Minister of State Lebel.
“Soccer is becoming more and more popular throughout Quebec, and that is particularly true here in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough. The existing surface has been overused and is now completely ruined. The new field, with its synthetic surface, will be more durable and offer better playing conditions over a longer period of the year. It will also be possible to use it for the practice of other sports such as football, rugby and flag-football,” added Minister James.
The governments of Canada and Quebec signed an agreement to accelerate the execution of recreational infrastructure modernization and rehabilitation projects in Quebec over the next two years. To that end, the Government of Canada will invest $37.4 million and the Government of Quebec at least an equivalent 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 Programme de soutien aux installations sportives et récréatives of the Government of Quebec’s Fonds pour le développement du sport et de l’activité physique and through the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program.
The Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, 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.
The Fonds pour le développement du sport et de l’activité physique was established by the Government of Quebec to ensure the province’s regions better access to new and improved sports facilities in order to promote healthier lifestyles among their populations.
For further details on this program, visit http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/sections/fondDeveloppement/ (available in French only).
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Sources:
Kim Ledoux
Press Secretary
Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports
Tel.: 418-644-0664
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
E-mail: simon.bachand@dec-ced.gc.ca
Luc Fortin
Attaché de presse de la ministre des Communautés culturelles et de l’Immigration
Tel.: 418-644-2128
