Hébertville-Station, Quebec, November 27, 2009 – The municipality of Hébertville-Station will soon have a new recreation centre and begin renovations on its skateboard park, today announced the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, and Serge Simard, Minister for Natural Resources and Wildlife and Minister responsible for the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy.
Costing an estimated $595,862, the project will benefit from $397,242 in combined government funding contributed in equal part by the governments of Quebec and Canada. The municipality of Hébertville-Station will assume the remainder of the project’s costs, or $198,620.
The project involves building a nearly 3,000 square-metre community recreation centre equipped with a storage area, bathroom facilities, changing rooms, a restaurant area and community hall, as well as restoring the cement surface of the skateboard park and installing four new play structures.
“The new sports and recreation centre is sure to answer the needs of the Hébertville-Station population. Though a project of this kind provides clear socioeconomic benefits, it also entails considerable costs. That is why the Government of Canada has made it its commitment to help fund sports and recreational facilities across the country by establishing the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program and allocating $500 million over two years to that end,” explained Minister of State Lebel.
“I am delighted that our government is supporting the municipality of Hébertville-Station in its efforts to implement a project that addresses a local need. The construction of this recreation centre will be a pivotal point for the municipality, which will now be able to rely on a modern facility to help promote a physically-active lifestyle and greater well-being among its citizens,” added Minister Simard.
The governments of Canada and Quebec signed an agreement to accelerate the execution of recreational infrastructure 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 that 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 Government of Canada’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program.
Established under the economic action plan adopted by the federal government last January, the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program is aimed at stimulating immediate economic recovery and reducing 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. To find out more about this plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For more on the state of advancement of the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, see www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Bruno Tremblay
Communications Advisor
Riding Office of the MNA for Dubuc, Minister for Natural Resources and
Wildlife and Minister responsible for the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region
Tel.: 418-544-8106
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
