16 April 2010
Alberton, Prince Edward Island
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and MLA Pat Murphy-Alberton-Roseville were on hand today, to help celebrate the completion of upgrades to the Alberton Community Centre. These renovations were made possible, in part, through $141,675 in combined financial support from the federal Recreation Infrastructure Fund (RInC) and the Province’s Island Community Fund (ICF).
Minister Shea, participated in the grand opening of the newly renovated community centre, on behalf of the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway. MLA Pat Murphy represented the Honourable Neil LeClair, PEI Minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development.
“As part of our Government’s Economic Action Plan, the RInC program is helping communities like Alberton to renovate and upgrade local recreational facilities, which will benefit area residents for years to come,” said Minister Shea. “These investments are helping to stimulate the economy in the short term while enhancing the quality of life for Islanders in the long term.”
The Government of Canada, through the RInC program, invested $62,337, while the province of Prince Edward Island has invested $79,338, through ICF. The community of Alberton contributed $47,225 to complete the project.
“The completion of this project is a real asset to the people of Alberton and surrounding areas, and I offer my congratulations to all those who have helped bring it about,” said Mr. Murphy. “This project is an example of how the provincial government’s Rural Action Plan is strengthening the economy and quality of life of rural communities.”
The Island Community Fund represents a provincial investment of $27.5 million towards the infrastructure needs of Prince Edward Island communities. Eligible categories of funding under this program include: Community Safety and Security; Recreation; and Cultural infrastructure not funded under the current programs. The Island Community Fund is just one component of the over $80 million the province is investing in infrastructure for our one island community.
The joint funding went toward upgrades to the bowling lanes at the Alberton Community Centre including wheelchair accessibility improvements and the replacement of six bowling lanes. “Canadian Mental Health Association is very pleased to have been able to partner with both the federal and provincial governments to carry out extensive renovations at the Alberton Bowling Lanes,” said John Horrelt, President of Canadian Mental Health Association, PEI Division. “The lanes provide a great source of recreation for the residents of West Prince and local bowlers are very appreciative of the completed improvements.”
As more of these projects reach the completion stage, residents of Prince Edward Island and the rest of Atlantic Canada will be able to enjoy their local recreational facilities for many years.
For information on Canada's Economic Action Plan, please visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For more information about provincial infrastructure initiatives, please visit www.gov.pe.ca/fard/.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Today, Minister Gail Shea and MLA Pat Murphy helped celebrate the completion of renovations made to the Alberton Community Centre. A joint investment of $141,675 under the federal Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) Program and the provincial Island Community Fund helped with upgrades to the bowling lanes at the Alberton Community Centre. The upgrades included the replacement of six bowling lanes, other necessary improvements to the bowling area and improvements to the facility’s wheelchair accessibility.
The RInC program is part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, delivered by ACOA in Atlantic Canada. The Island Communities Fund is part of PEI’s One Island Community. Both programs are designed to help mitigate the impacts of the global economic recession by increasing construction activity in the recreational sector.
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INFORMATION:
Jessica Park
ACOA PEI & Tourism
(902) 626-2878
Wayne MacKinnon
PEI Dept. of Fisheries, Aquaculture
and Rural Development
(902) 368-4888
