Cap-Santé, Quebec, March 19, 2010 – The Honourable Senator Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis, acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today joined Michel Matte, Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Portneuf, acting on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, in announcing that the City of Cap-Santé will receive $1,267,890 in joint government financial assistance under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec for the construction of a community centre.
The project the City of Cap-Santé is proposing involves the construction of a brick building on community land located on Déry Street. This new two-storey, 1,080 square metre community centre will complete the facilities already in place. The project will provide programming that promotes physical fitness and improves residents’ quality of life. By bringing organizations under one roof and reorganizing services so that all citizens can benefit from the facilities available to them, the new centre will respond to a community need while retaining existing users and attracting new families in the region. This project will directly benefit some 2,700 people.
“The construction of a community centre in Cap-Santé will serve the interests of the city’s residents and businesses alike. In supporting this project, we are ensuring that the population enjoys the high quality of life for which our country is famous. Indeed, the Government of Canada is committed to equipping every community with modern facilities to ensure citizens’ health and safety. The renewal of public infrastructure is part of a broad action plan that will enable us to thrive and prosper in a healthy environment,” stated Senator Fortin-Duplessis.
“By participating in this project, the Government of Quebec is moving forward to ensure the province’s municipalities have infrastructure that meets their unique realities while fostering sustainable development. By injecting new capital into the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, our government is looking to accelerate the execution of numerous infrastructure projects throughout the province, like this one in Cap-Santé, in an effort to improve Quebecers’ well-being, create jobs and promote a high-performance economy. In this way, we are leaving the municipality a legacy of quality infrastructure with which to face the challenges of the future,” added MNA Michel Matte.
Completion of this project will necessitate an overall investment of $1,901,835. The governments of Quebec and Canada will each contribute $633,945 toward the project, for a total of $1,267,890 in combined government funding, while the City of Cap-Santé will assume the remaining third, or $633,945, of the project’s costs.
The Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund – Quebec is a cost-sharing initiative aimed at funding infrastructure projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. These communities are thus able to use this assistance to improve infrastructure that is in major need of revitalization, including water treatment plants, water supply systems and cultural and sports centres.
For provinces, like Quebec, that have committed all of their funding under the Communities Component, the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides for up to $500 million in additional funding for projects that will be completed by March 31, 2011.
In Quebec, a joint federal-provincial contribution of $232 million will be used to fund 106 infrastructure projects.
The contribution from the Government of Canada has been awarded through Canada ’s Economic Action Plan. To learn more about this plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For further information on the Government of Quebec’s Quebec Infrastructure Plan, see www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.
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Sources:
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development:
Tel.: 613-996-6236
Nicole Gingras
Political attaché
Office of the MNA for Portneuf
Tel.: 418-268-3860
