Montréal, Quebec, September 27, 2010 – The new artificial turf soccer-football field at the Saint-Léonard community complex was officially inaugurated today in the presence of Filomena Rotiroti, Member of the National Assembly for Jeanne-Mance–Viger, who took part in the ceremony on behalf of Line Beauchamp, Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports.
This project was carried out thanks to $678,450 in joint government financial assistance contributed in equal part by the governments of Quebec and Canada, with the City of Montréal and the Saint-Léonard borough assuming the remainder of the costs, for a total investment of $1,356,900.
"I am delighted for the residents of Saint-Léonard, who will now enjoy access to a soccer-football field that meets their expectations. Once Hébert stadium is also upgraded and renovated, the region's soccer players will be able to fully benefit from modern, quality sports facilities that encourage an active and healthy lifestyle," noted MNA Rotiroti.
The new soccer field is located between Martin-Brodeur arena and Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry high school. Replacing the original grass surface with artificial turf will help reduce the field's maintenance costs, increase the hours of usage and minimize the risk of injury.
In the view of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, "this synthetic field at the Saint-Léonard community complex is sure to enhance the quality of life of the young people who will be using this new infrastructure for the practice of sports."
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 government funding for this project was 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.
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.
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:
Dave Leclerc
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Education,
Recreation and Sports
Tel.: 418-644-0664
Benoît Fortin
Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-997-3319
