Montréal, Quebec, December 8, 2009 – Major infrastructure work will be carried out over the coming months on Henri-Bourassa arena in the Montréal-Nord borough, today jointly announced Line Beauchamp, Quebec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, acting on behalf of Michelle Courchesne, Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada and Minister responsible for the Montréal region, Monique Worth, the Montréal Executive Committee member responsible for sports and recreation, and Montréal-Nord Borough Mayor Gilles Deguire. Requiring an overall investment of $4,358,703, this project will benefit from $1,179,351 in funding from the Government of Quebec and $1,000,000 from the Government of Canada, with the City of Montréal investing $2,179,352 in the project.
The work will involve replacing the arena’s refrigeration system, enlarging the machinery room and carrying out various renovations made necessary by the building’s outdatedness. The project also calls for the execution of plumbing, ventilation and electrical work, as well as repairs to the roof and replacement of the boards around the ice rink.
“The population of Montréal-Nord needs this arena, which serves for the practice of a variety of ice sports such as hockey, figure skating and speed skating, which has made record gains in popularity since 2004. But this facility, which was built in 1970, needs to be brought up to standard to ensure users greater safety. From an environmental standpoint, the plan to replace the refrigeration system is welcome news, particularly as the use of Freon R22 is to be banned in all arenas by the year 2020. I am therefore extremely pleased that our governments have joined forces to help the City of Montréal upgrade a facility that gives all residents, and especially youngsters, the opportunity to get moving and stay active,” stated Minister Beauchamp.
“After 40 years of operation, Henri-Bourassa arena is about to get a veritable face-lift. Ice sports enthusiasts in Montréal-Nord 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. Granted through the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, this financial assistance is open to all communities across the country,” noted Minister Paradis.
“Today’s announcement is excellent news for the Montréal-Nord borough and a concrete example of our commitment towards our city. Sports facilities in a city like Montréal are vital. With this assistance, our administration, in collaboration with all of our partners, is exercising its leadership to support the community of Montréal-Nord more than ever before,” explained Monique Worth.
“We are pleased to receive this support from the various levels of government and the City of Montréal in implementing our sports infrastructure revitalization program. This investment comes on top of many projects that have been put in place since the beginning of 2009. Montréal-Nord is very serious about the social challenge it set for itself to improve the quality of life in the borough and offer young people interesting and healthy solutions for better living,” added Gilles Deguire.
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.
The Montréal municipal administration, in addition to granting this major investment of more than $2.2 million, established an $11.8 million municipal sports infrastructure fund to support projects in all of its boroughs. A first in Montréal, these investments are expected to generate projects totalling more than $50 million in 28 sports facilities on the Montréal territory in 2008-2009.
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 www.mels.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Tamara Davis
Press Secretary
Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports
Tel.: 418-644-0664
Mary-Ann Dewey Plante
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada
Tel.: 819-956-5325
Dave Leclerc
Press Secretary
Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks
Tel.: 418-521-3911
Darren Becker
Press Secretary
Office of the Mayor of Montréal-Nord and the Executive Committee
Tel.: 514-872-6412
