Val-d’Or, Quebec, June 13, 2011 – Pierre Corbeil, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Minister responsible for the Abitibi–Témiscamingue and Northern Quebec regions and Member of the National Assembly for Abitibi-Est, on behalf of Christine St-Pierre, Quebec’s Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, today inaugurated the Félix-Leclerc Hall. The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, who was unable to attend the event, welcomes the successful execution of this project. Val-d’Or Mayor Fernand Trahan also attended the event.
Val-d’Or residents will now have a fully renovated and improved concert hall as a result of federal, provincial and municipal funding contributions. A joint Canada‑Quebec funding contribution of $1.5 million from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund has been provided for the Félix-Leclerc Concert Hall. The estimated cost of the project is nearly $2.4 million.
“Our government is proud to contribute funding to cultural infrastructure projects that serve the interests of Quebec families in all of Quebec’s regions,” said the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “The renovations and improvements carried out on the Félix-Leclerc Hall will help to increase the safety and extend the service life of the facilities while ensuring maximum use of this multi‑purpose hall.”
“Now that the Félix-Leclerc Hall has been renovated, Val-d'Or can now take pride in the fact that cultural organizations, artists and the public now have a space for cultural creativity and sharing that is two times bigger and better equipped to fulfil the mission of a modern cultural complex. The boundless creativity generated by the arts and cultural resources are an essential part of the region’s economy,” said Minister Pierre Corbeil.
Located in the cultural centre, the Félix-Leclerc Hall occupies part of the building that it has shared with the municipal library and the Val-d’Or exhibition centre for the past 30 years. Project activities included doubling the current floor area of the Hall and building a loading dock, a second dressing room for performers and access for persons with reduced mobility. The Hall can now seat nearly 230 people, depending on how the Hall is configured and on user requirements. In addition, the Conservatoire de musique de Val-d’Or teachers and students who use the premises will have a much improved facility for practising, learning and performing.
The maximum contribution of $781,200 from the Government of Canada for this project comes from the $4‑billion nation‑wide Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which is part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan announced in the January 2009 budget. On December 2, 2010, the Government of Canada announced a deadline extension for the construction of infrastructure projects carried out under the Economic Action Plan.
The Quebec government’s contribution of $781,200 was allocated under the Plan québécois des infrastructures released in the fall of 2007. It should be noted that the cultural component of the Plan will total $1.2 billion in investments. With the contributions of partners, it should generate an estimated total investment of more than $2 billion. These new funds will allow the Quebec Department of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women to accommodate a greater number of projects under its current programs and, more specifically, to help raise the profiles of cities and regions throughout Quebec.
Additional information:
For more information on investment in infrastructure, visit the following Web sites www.creatingjobs.gc.ca and www.infrastructures.gouv.qc.ca.
To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
Contacts:
Benoît Fortin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613‑991-0700
Hélène Sauvageau
Press Secretary
Office of the Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
418 380-2525
Infrastructure Canada
613‑948-1148
1-877-250-7154 (toll-free)
