Thunder Bay, Ontario, June 11, 2011– The Mary J.L. Black branch library today celebrated the grand opening of its new building.
This library is one of four in the City of Thunder Bay and serves the Westfort and Northwood communities. The new building conforms to modern construction codes and is an accessible, environmentally-friendly cultural facility that accommodates more visitors than its predecessor.
“Infrastructure projects benefit our communities in so many ways,” said the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “This new library will serve the people of Thunder Bay well into the future, and our government is proud of the role we played in its construction.”
“The Government of Ontario is proud to support lifelong learning opportunities for children and families through our Open Ontario Plan,” said Bill Mauro, Member of Provincial Parliament for Thunder Bay—Atikokan. “By working with the City of Thunder Bay and the Government of Canada, we have established a new Mary J.L. Black Branch Library that will serve the community for many generations to come. Congratulations to the Library Board and staff and the City of Thunder Bay for their leadership and vision on this project.”
"I would like to congratulate everyone involved on the Grand Opening of the new Mary J.L. Black Branch Library. The entire community has been looking forward to the opening of this new library with tremendous enthusiasm! This new Library will continue to serve the growing needs of our diverse community, while meeting the challenges of the new knowledge economy by incorporating technology throughout all aspects of daily operations," said Keith Hobbs, Mayor of the City of Thunder Bay.
The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed nearly $1.4 million toward this project through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. The City of Thunder Bay contributed the balance of the total eligible project cost of about $4.1 million.
As part of the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund is providing funding to over 4,100 infrastructure projects across the country, and is delivered by Infrastructure Canada.
Over the last couple of months, Ontario had an increase of 38,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 7.9%.
For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.
For further information about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit ontario.ca/infrastructure.
Contact information:
Vanessa Schneider
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Office of MPP Mauro
807-623-9237
Office of Mayor Hobbs
807-625-3600
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
Or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
