Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, November 16, 2009 – The Centre sportif de Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts will soon undergo major renovations, today jointly announced Michelle Courchesne, Quebec’s Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, and the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development. The project will benefit from $2,081,078 in combined government financial assistance, of which $1,081,078 will be invested by the Government of Quebec and $1,000,000 by the Government of Canada. The City of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, for its part, will assume the remaining $2,140,409 of the costs.
The Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts arena was built in 1972 and many of its installations, notably its refrigeration system, are in need of upgrading. The City also intends to improve the building’s insulation, repair the roof and carry out work on the pool, including replacing the dehumidifier along with the ventilation, chlorination and air exchange systems.
“The residents of Sainte-Agathe won’t even recognize their sports complex within a few weeks, and it’s all for the better! Sports enthusiasts will be happy to learn that they will soon benefit from a greater number of activities and that the arena will be able to operate year-round. If we want to encourage Quebecers to be physically active, we have to provide them with sports facilities that meet their needs. This is something the City of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts has clearly understood and I congratulate the municipality for that. I am convinced that more people of all ages will be using this new facility and that their quality of life will be considerably improved as a result,” stated Minister Courchesne.
“In supporting this major project, the Government of Canada is moving forward to ensure our municipalities have infrastructure that suits their unique realities while fostering sustainable development, a key element of any modern, wealth-building economy. We are proud to be able to offer Canadians the high level of quality of life that has become our country’s trademark. That is why our government introduced the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, through which $500 million will be invested over two years in the modernization of sports and recreational facilities across the country. The renovation of the Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts sports centre will also make it possible to develop new sports activities, which is sure to delight all of the users of this facility,” added Minister of State Lebel.
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 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 Government of Canada’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program.
About the 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. For more on this plan, see www.actionplan.gc.ca.
About the Fonds pour le développement du sport et de l’activité physique
The Fonds pour le développement du sport et de l’activité physique was created by the Government of Quebec to ensure all of the province’s regions access to new and improved sports facilities in order to promote healthier lifestyles among their populations. For further details on this initiative, visit http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Tamara Davis
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
