SOUTHWEST SASKATCHEWAN RESIDENTS BENEFIT FROM REVITALIZED RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

The residents of Maple Creek, Gravelbourg, Herbert and the Rural Municipality (RM) of Old Post will benefit from revitalized recreational facilities thank to a joint investment of more than $411,000 from the federal and provincial governments provided through the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF).

These investments were announced today by David L. Anderson, Member of Parliament for Cypress Hills-Grasslands, 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 Wood River MLA Yogi Huyghebaert on behalf of Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Hutchinson.

"The Government of Canada is pleased to support these communities as they revitalize and renew their cultural and recreational facilities," said Anderson. "Today's investment reflects our government's commitment to help communities grow as vibrant and productive places to live, work and raise families."

"Recreational facilities play a vital role in these communities, and I'm happy the provincial government was able to contribute to these improvements," Huyghebaert said. "It's part of our commitment to ensure all Saskatchewan people benefit from the province's strong economic momentum."

"It's great to see that both the federal and provincial governments understand the needs of rural Saskatchewan, and with energy and other input costs increasing, providing recreational services is becoming more difficult," Gravelbourg Mayor Fernand Bouvier said. "A grant such as this one goes far toward enhancing the quality of life for citizens of all ages and reducing green house gases for present and future generations."

Today's announcement includes more than $121,000 for the Town of Gravelbourg to upgrade the Palestre Arena with energy-saving heating and air conditioning systems to reduce operating costs. The Town of Herbert will receive over $36,000 to replace lights, furnaces and install new rubber flooring in their sports complex. Maple Creek will benefit from more than $44,000 for high efficiency natural gas boilers and to fix malfunctioning skimmer systems that keep the pool water clean and properly filtered. An additional $208,410 will be provided to the RM of Old Post for much needed maintenance and repairs to heating systems, a platform for passive solar heating panels, upgraded bed lining for the external pool and renovations to change facilities.

Under the initial Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (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).

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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