Lambton, Quebec, December 17, 2009 – The municipality of Lambton will soon be able to proceed with the renovation and expansion of its arena, today jointly announced the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L’Érable, and Johanne Gonthier, Member of the National Assembly for Mégantic-Compton, acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy.
The project, which will cost a total of $425,356, will benefit from $283,570 in joint government financial assistance contributed in equal part by the Government of Quebec and Government of Canada, with the municipality of Lambton itself assuming $141,786 of the costs of the upgrade.
The project mainly involves renovating and expanding the Lambton arena in order to make additional space available for new facilities and players’ rooms, among other things.
“After more than 30 years of operation, Lambton arena is about to get a veritable face-lift. Ice sports enthusiasts in the municipality and surrounding areas will finally have a facility that is equal to their ambitions! It is a well-established fact that the practice of sports has a positive impact on physical health and quality of life, and it is clearly in the best interests of the population that this arena undergo a much-needed modernization. The Government of Canada has made it its commitment to invest $500 million over two years in the rehabilitation of our national sports and recreational infrastructure. Provided through the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, this financial assistance is open to all communities across the country,” stated Minister Paradis.
“Today’s announcement is good news for the residents of Lambton as well as for those of neighbouring communities. The expansion and renovation of this arena, the hub of numerous sports and recreational activities, are essential to the vitality of the municipality’s economy and its community. With this investment, the Government of Quebec is also encouraging the adoption of an active and healthy lifestyle among its population,” added Johanne Gonthier.
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 Government of Canada’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program and 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.
The Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan adopted by the federal government last January, 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.
For further details on the state of advancement of the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, visit www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Véronique Lachance
Political Attaché
Office of Johanne Gonthier
MNA for Mégantic-Compton
Tel.: 819-583-4500
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
