Grimsby, Ontario, December 9, 2011 – Federal, provincial and municipal representatives joined YMCA of Niagara donors, staff and volunteers today to celebrate the recent construction and the grand opening of the new Niagara West YMCA.
The LEED designed, fully accessible facility features two pools, multiple change rooms, a gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, a studio, heath and conditioning areas, child-minding facilities and an outdoor play area. The facility also has sufficient space to accommodate YMCA day camps and youth outreach programs to serve the communities of Grimsby, Lincoln and West Lincoln.
"Thanks to Canada's Economic Action Plan, this brand new facility will benefit the entire West Niagara region,"
said Dean Allison, Member of Parliament for Niagara West – Glanbrook, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "Not only did this project help to create local jobs and economic growth, the Niagara West YMCA will enrich the lives of families and residents of our communities for many years to come."
"Our government is making important infrastructure investments to strengthen communities, stimulate the economy and create jobs and opportunities for families in Niagara,"
said the Honourable Jim Bradley, Member of Provincial Parliament for St. Catharines. "The construction of this new facility has created 85 new jobs in our region and will help communities throughout West Niagara lead healthy, active lives for years to come."
"We would like to thank the federal and provincial governments, the local municipalities and the hundreds of donors and volunteers who have worked so hard over the last year to make this YMCA possible,"
said YMCA CEO Jason Brown. "In particular, we would like to thank Norm Beal our Campaign Chair for his leadership in helping us raise over $2.2 million from the community with support from nearly 400 donors."
The Governments of Canada and Ontario are each contributing one-third of eligible project costs, up to a maximum of $6 million each. The YMCA of Niagara has contributed the balance of the total eligible project costs of $18 million, of which $2 million was provided by the municipalities of Grimsby and West Lincoln.
Federal support for this project comes from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, part of Canada's Economic Action Plan. Working to create jobs, boost the economy and deliver results for communities, Canada's Economic Action Plan supported over 28,500 projects across the country.
This project supports Building Together, Ontario's long-term infrastructure plan to repair, rebuild and renew the province's roads and highways, bridges, public transit, schools and postsecondary institutions, hospitals and courthouses. Since 2003, the Government of Ontario has created and supported 600,000 jobs and invested $62 billion in infrastructure. Through Building Together, Ontario will continue to make significant investments in public infrastructure, starting with an investment of more than $35 billion over the next three years.
For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit infrastructure.gc.ca.
For further information about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit actionplan.gc.ca.
To download a short broadcast-quality video highlighting a few of the many successful infrastructure projects across Canada, visit infrastructure.gc.ca/video/video-eng.html
For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit ontario.ca/infrastructure.
Contacts:
Pierre Floréa
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure
416-327-7226
Brian Bratt
General Manager, Communications
YMCA of Niagara
905-646-9622
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
