YORKTON AND AREA RESIDENTS BENEFIT FROM OVER $944,000 IN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

The residents of Yorkton, Canora, Esterhazy, Hudson Bay, Kelvington, Langenburg, Melville and Sturgis will benefit from over $944,000 in combined federal and provincial funding through the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) to build and upgrade community cultural and recreational facilities.

Today's announcement includes more than $135,000 for the City of Yorkton to upgrade the Yorkton Kinsmen Arena. The Town of Sturgis will also receive $250,000 for the construction of a new Cultural Centre. A full list of project descriptions and investments is attached.

This investment was announced by Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Hutchinson; Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, on behalf of Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification; and Mayor Chris Wyatt from the City of Yorkton.

"I'm very pleased that the provincial government is able to work alongside the federal government and municipalities to invest in these important community facilities," Hutchinson said. "Working together like this helps the Province build the foundation of a government-to-government relationship with municipalities that will deliver real and lasting benefits to the people of Saskatchewan."

"These communities will benefit from increased access to cultural and recreational facilities that are modern, energy efficient, and meet the needs of residents and visitors," said Breitkreuz. "The Government of Canada is proud to work in partnership with all orders of government to help these municipalities grow as strong, healthy, prosperous and vibrant communities."

"The City of Yorkton is proud to once again partner with our Federal and Provincial levels of government to enhance the quality of life in our city," Wyatt said. "The funds from the MRIF program will not only make the Kinsmen Arena more energy efficient, it will bring it up to code for the next twenty years. As this city struggles to fund infrastructure and building repair deficits, it truly appreciates the support from the federal and provincial levels of government."

Under the initial MRIF agreement, the federal and provincial governments committed a combined $76 million to the fund, with participating communities contributing one-half of all costs, raising the total infrastructure investment above $152 million.

In 2007, the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan provided an additional $14.9 million to the fund as part of their commitment to help smaller communities meet their pressing infrastructure needs. This additional funding brings the total federal and provincial investment in MRIF projects to over $90.9 million.

This announcement is part of a larger group of 56 MRIF cultural and recreational projects being announced across the province. The federal and provincial governments are providing more than $5.7 million toward the projects' $12.69 million total cost.

Before receiving final approval, community projects undergo a review process under both the Canadian Environment Assessment Act and The Environmental Assessment Act (Saskatchewan).

-30-

For more information, contact:

Joanne Mysak
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-975-5942

Tyler McMurchy
Municipal Affairs
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5193
Cell: 306-537-7051