VILLAGE OF CLAVET BENEFITS FROM IMPROVEMENT TO ARENA

Clavet residents will benefit from improvements to the local arena thanks to a joint federal and provincial investment of more than $51,000 to the Clavet Community Arena, through the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF).

The investment was announced today by Saskatchewan Justice Minister Don Morgan, on behalf of Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Hutchinson, Lynne Yelich, Member of Parliament for Blackstrap and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, 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 Village of Clavet Mayor Blair Bentley.

The funds will be used for energy efficient upgrades to construct a heat recovery system to capture escaping heat from the ice plant and redirect it to dressing rooms, a water-to-water heat plant and the ice surface. This system will increase energy efficiency, and reduce operating costs and environmental impact for this facility.

"I'm very pleased that the residents of Clavet will be able to benefit from these improvements to the arena," Morgan said. "Investments in infrastructure like this help our government fulfil its goal of ensuring all Saskatchewan people benefit from the province's current economic momentum."

"This arena project is an investment in modern infrastructure that will address environmental concerns and improve quality of life for residents and visitors," said Yelich. "The Government of Canada is proud to work in partnership with the Province of Saskatchewan and the Village of Clavet to help this community grow as a strong, healthy, prosperous and vibrant place to live."

"It is a tremendous opportunity when our community receives funding to help improve facilities," Bentley said. "In today's times of rising energy costs, council is particularly pleased that our local recreational arena board was able to obtain funding from the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund for their planned heat recovery system. The rink has always been a great place for social times, with strong Figure Skating and Hockey Clubs."

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.

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 Saskatchewan MRIF projects to over $90.9 million.

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