August 06, 2013
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Today, residents of Salt Spring Island are celebrating the completion of a project to construct a new public library. Andrew Saxton, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and for Western Economic Diversification, and Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, on behalf of the Honourable Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, was pleased to join their friends and neighbours at this important community event.
The Harper Government and the Province of British Columbia have partnered to build better communities and strengthen the economy. Modern public infrastructure provides a strong foundation to grow our economy.
"It is truly a pleasure to be here on Salt Spring Island and to witness how our investment here is benefiting the residents of this community,
" said Parliamentary Secretary Saxton. "The construction of this library has promoted jobs and economic prosperity during its construction and will continue to benefit families and community members for years to come.
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The Harper Government's top priorities are the creation of jobs and economic growth. Through the partnership of the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the Capital Regional District (CRD), the local jobs created on Salt Spring Island have contributed to the strength of British Columbia and Canada's economies during the worst of the global economic downturn. This completion of the Salt Spring Island Public Library also leaves a legacy of modern infrastructure and long-term benefits to the community of Salt Spring Island.
"Congratulations to Salt Spring residents who are now enjoying a new, larger library building that will benefit the community for years to come,
" said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone. "Our government's contribution of $2.275 million is money well invested for this new 'green', fully accessible building that offers all types of media and room for community meetings.
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"The Library Building Project has been many years in the making and is the culmination of countless volunteer hours by both the Building Committee and the Library Association Board working together with the CRD,
" said Wayne McIntyre, CRD Electoral Director, Salt Spring Island. "The success of the project is a testament to the excellent working relationship between the Salt Spring Island Public Library Association, which will operate the new library, the CRD, which owns the library building, the Provincial and Federal Funding Partners and Knappett Projects Inc., the construction firm responsible for building the facility.
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The Harper Government and the Province of British Columbia each invested over $2.2 million to the project that enabled the community of Salt Spring Island to benefit from the construction of a new two-level public library. The Capital Regional District contributed the balance towards the total project costs of over $6.9 million.
Under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund (BCF), the Government of Canada has invested in important projects across the West with matching contributions from the western provinces. Thousands of residents across the province are now enjoying the benefits of this significant investment to Canada and British Columbia's public infrastructure.
For more information on the Building Canada plan, visit http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca
This news release is available online at www.wd-deo.gc.ca
