Minden Hills, Ontario, July 1, 2011 – In addition to annual Canada Day celebrations taking place across the Township, Minden Hills recognized the completion of upgrades to both the Minden Riverwalk and the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena today. Community members joined federal, provincial and municipal representatives to celebrate the improvements.
“Building the Riverwalk and upgrading the arena has created countless opportunities for residents in Minden Hills to stay active,” said Barry Devolin, Member of Parliament for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, on behalf of Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “The Government of Canada is proud to be a partner in these wonderful projects that will help contribute to a healthy, vibrant community.”
“The McGuinty government is proud to join Minden Hills and the federal government to strengthen and enrich this beautiful community,” said Rick Johnson, Member of Provincial Parliament for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock. “By revitalizing the Minden Riverwalk and the S. G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena, we have provided our families with places to come together as a community and engage in healthy, active living for many years to come.”
"Minden Hills would not have this wonderful new attraction without support from the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada,” said Barbara Reid, Reeve of the Township of Minden Hills. “Now the focal point of our beautiful village of Minden, this fully-accessible Riverwalk trail and boardwalk will become a major attraction for both residents and visitors alike."
In total, $2,183,460 in improvements for both projects has been carried out. The governments of Canada and Ontario each contributed $727,820 toward the projects through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund and Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program in Ontario and the Ontario Recreation Program. The Township of Minden Hills is using $260,910 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation toward the Riverwalk project, bringing the Government of Canada’s contribution to $988,730. The Township contributed the remaining $466,910 toward the improvements.
The Government of Canada's contribution comes from the Economic Action Plan, which is providing approximately $16 billion over two years to modernize a broad range of infrastructure. From 2010 to 2014, the Township of Minden Hills will also receive $681,721 in federal Gas Tax funding.
Over the last couple of months, Ontario had an increase of 38,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 7.9 per cent.
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.
Contacts:
Vanessa Schneider
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Office of MPP Johnson
705-324-6654
Rick Cox
Director of Community Services
Township of Minden Hills
705-286-1936 ext. 201
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the Township of Minden Hills celebrated the completion of upgrades to the Minden Riverwalk and S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena today.
Project details are as follows:
Minden Riverwalk (Infrastructure Stimulus Fund)
Improvements to the Minden Riverwalk included the installation of light fixtures along the pathway, a snowmobile bridge across the Gull River, a boardwalk through the marsh, a pedestrian bridge across the Clergy House Creek, and various landscaping improvements. The upgrades represent phase one of a multi-phase initiative to improve the Township’s 1.5 kilometre wetland boardwalk.
The governments of Canada have each committed $521,820 toward the total eligible project cost of $1,565,460. The Township of Minden Hills is contributing the balance of the total project costs, which includes $260,910 from their federal Gas Tax Fund allocation.
S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena and Minden Community Centre (Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program)
The S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena and Minden Community Centre were renovated to help achieve significant energy savings and increased accessibility through new power-assisted doors. Other components included a reconfigured snack bar and stands, the replacement of rink pad heaters and dehumidifiers, ice plant upgrades, additional storage, electrical upgrades including replacement of the lighting and PA system, and washroom fixture upgrades.
The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed $206,000 toward the total eligible project cost of $618,000. The Township of Minden Hills is contributing the balance.
