Coaticook, Quebec, April 12, 2010 – New sections will soon be added to the Coaticook bicycle and pedestrian path, today announced Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Member of the National Assembly for Saint-François, Chair of the Conseil du trésor, and Minister responsible for Government Administration and Minister responsible for the Estrie Region, acting on behalf of Michelle Courchesne, Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, joined by the Honourable Christian Paradis, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources.
Necessitating an overall investment of $557,439, this project will be carried out thanks to $278,719 in combined government funding contributed in equal part by the governments of Quebec and Canada, with the City of Coaticook assuming the remaining portion of the costs.
The project involves pursuing development of a bicycle and pedestrian path linking Coaticook’s downtown core to five municipal parks and the city’s two local high schools.
“This means the region’s citizens will have better access to these trails and a greater variety of ways to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” stated Minister Gagnon-Tremblay. “This is excellent news indeed!”
Once the work has been completed, the City of Coaticook will have four new sections of path running north to south, as provided for in its Corridor bleu nature—or blue nature lane—global development plan.
“This project is terrific news for the entire population of Coaticook, whose quality of life will be greatly enhanced by this investment in the city’s infrastructure,” explained the Honourable Christian Paradis. “With the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program introduced by our government, $500 million will be invested over two years in the modernization of our sports and recreational facilities across the country,” he added.
The governments of Canada and Quebec signed an agreement to accelerate the execution of recreational infrastructure projects in Quebec by March 31, 2011. To that end, the Government of Canada will invest $76 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.
About the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program
Established under the economic action plan adopted by the federal government in January 2009, 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.
– 30 –
Sources:
Tamara Davis
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Education,
Recreation and Sports
Tel.: 418-644-0664
Andrée-Anne Bégin
Political Attaché
Office of the Minister responsible for the Estrie Region
Tel.: 818-565-3667
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
