SUDBURY: Joint funding has been announced for six community and recreation infrastructure projects in Central and Northern Ontario.
Paul Lefebvre, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Nipissing, on behalf of the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; and Helen Francis, President and CEO of the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario, made the announcement.
The Government of Canada is investing $707,915 in these projects through the Community, Culture, and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
The Government of Ontario is providing $589,870 for these projects, while recipients are contributing a combined $456,477 to their respective projects. Among the projects announced are renovations and renewals of the elevators at the fitness and recreation centres in the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario, replacing the existing two elevators at the Sudbury location, and the one-person lift at the North Bay location, with a full-service elevator.
The new elevator at the North Bay location will accommodate more than one person at a time and will be modernized to meet the participants’ needs. Once complete, this project will help maintain and increase community access to the community programs and services offered at the YMCA and ensure the participants’ safety and well-being.
In the Town of The Blue Mountains, funding will support renovations of the Craigleith Heritage Depot. This project includes updating the roof, siding, accessible doors, and fenestrations. Other updates include work to improve air flow, the interior climate, and air quality.
Once renovations are complete, the Craigleith Heritage Depot will be more accessible, will have an extended life cycle, and will safeguard users’ safety for years to come.
Additional investments in recreation infrastructure across the region include the replacement of the Chesley Community Centre’s roof in the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie, which will allow residents to enjoy the facility for years to come.
Also included in today’s announcement is the Snowmobile and Multiuse Bridge Replacement project in the Township of Sioux NarrowsNestor Falls, which will improve access to services for Indigenous communities and help promote tourism in Northwestern Ontario.
• Through the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities. Ontario is investing $10.2 billion under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green, and rural and northern community and other priority infrastructure.
• Across Ontario, the Government of Canada has invested more than $14.4 billion in over 3,900 infrastructure projects since 2015 under the Investing in Canada Plan. Across Canada, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has contributed $9.7 billion to 3,500 projects.
• Across the province and over the next 10 years, Ontario is investing $320 million and Canada $407 million under the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream.