SARNIA, ONTARIO, April 20, 2012 – Celebrations were held in Sarnia today where government representatives, board members, donors, and staff gathered to celebrate the official grand opening of Pathways Health Centre for Children’s newly expanded and renovated facility.
Pathways Health Centre for Children provides family-centered rehabilitation services, including recreational therapy for children and young adults in Lambton County who face physical, developmental and communication challenges. Improvements to the facility included the construction of a multi-purpose recreational facility; new family change rooms with access to the community therapeutic pool; renovations to existing change rooms; expansion of the pool lobby area; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades.
Funds raised through Pathways’ capital campaign also enabled the organization to expand its facility from 30,870 to 43,822 square feet, addressing an ongoing and urgent need for additional treatment space.
“Pathways Health Centre for Children is a place where children can learn and grow in a supportive environment that encourages them to reach their full potential,” said Pat Davidson, Member of Parliament for Sarnia–Lambton, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “Our Government is proud to have invested in the expansion of this facility – a valuable resource for children and families in our community.”
"This community project will enable Pathways Health Centre to continue to provide important services and support to children and their families for years to come,” said the Honourable Chris Bentley, Member of Provincial Parliament for London West.
“We at Pathways are thrilled to be able, through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, to welcome our community into this brighter facility that has been designed to encourage networking, sharing of resources and community use,” said Jenny Greensmith, Executive Director. ” We are very grateful to the municipalities, corporations, businesses, and individuals who have stepped forward in support of the therapy and programming we provide at the Centre and through outreach across the County of Lambton. In particular, we acknowledge the vision and ongoing support of the Rotary Club of Sarnia over the years, and the County of Lambton for their most significant donations in the current expansion and renovation.”
"The County of Lambton is most pleased to be a lead donor in this excellent project that supports the vision of our community to enrich the lives of children and families for a better tomorrow,” said Warden Steven Arnold. “Pathways Health Centre for Children provides essential therapy and resource support services county-wide for children and youth with physical, developmental and communication needs."
The recent renovations and expansion will deliver multiple benefits to Pathways clients. Upgrades have greatly improved privacy and accessibility for users and HVAC upgrades have increased energy efficiency, saving the organization money. Most importantly, more multi-purpose space will increase the range of programming offered to children with special needs and their families.
The governments of Canada and Ontario each contributed $593,333 through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund toward the renovation costs. Pathways Health Centre for Children also contributed $593,333. In addition to these contributions, Pathways Health Centre for Children’s capital campaign has raised $2.6 million to date, including a $600,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Sarnia and a $500,000 donation from the County of Lambton towards the expansion of the facility, for a total combined project cost of $4.2 million.
As part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund supported more than 4,100 projects across the country, including over 2,000 key infrastructure projects in Ontario.
Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2012 focuses on creating new opportunities for jobs and growth, and securing long-term prosperity for Canadians. Investing in public infrastructure is an important part of this strategy. Thanks to the Government of Canada’s leadership, and our strong economic and financial fundamentals, the Canadian economy has recovered from the global recession better than most other countries. Canada has been a leader among G-7 countries throughout the recovery with more than 690,000 net new jobs created since July 2009. To learn more about the opportunities in Economic Action Plan 2012, visit www.budget.gc.ca/2012/home-accueil-eng.html.
This project also supports Building Together, the Government of 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.Ontariois investing $12.8 billion in infrastructure projects in 2011-12, bringing the government’s total infrastructure investments since 2003 to $75 billion. Building modern, efficient infrastructure has created or preserved close to 100,000 jobs each year, on average, makingOntario’s economy more productive and improving quality of life, now and in the future.
For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit infrastructure.gc.ca.
For further information about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit actionplan.gc.ca.
For more information on how Ontariois revitalizing its infrastructure, visit ontario.ca/infrastructure.
Contacts:
Geneviève Sicard
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure
416-325-0781
Jenny Greensmith
Executive Director
Pathways Health Centre for Children
519-542-3471 ext. 237
InfrastructureCanada
613-960-9251 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
