WATROUS CELEBRATES REFURBISHED CIVIC CENTRE

Today the town of Watrous held a grand opening for the refurbished civic centre and administrative offices.  The Civic Centre received major renovations that included a new exterior finish; replacing windows, doors, and all lighting; removing asbestos from the building and new insulation.

The $1.9 million project received funding of $247,838 from the federal transfer of gasoline excise tax revenues and $250,000 each from the federal and provincial governments under the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund and $1.15 million from the Town of Watrous.

Lynne Yelich, member of Parliament for Blackstrap, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Greystone Peter Prebble, on behalf of Government Relations Minister Harry Van Mulligen and Watrous Mayor Ed Collins cut the ribbon to officially open the refurbished building.

“The Town of Watrous has shown initiative in making its Main Street civic centre safer and more energy efficient,” Yelich said.  “Canada’s New Government is providing stable and reliable funding that helps communities like Watrous meet their infrastructure needs.  Implementing infrastructure is never easy, making this a tremendous achievement and a huge accomplishment for the community of Watrous.  By wisely investing in needed infrastructure, Watrous is providing a great example for other communities.”

“This project is a fine example of bringing an older facility to a more energy efficient and safer standard,” Prebble said.  “The province is pleased to partner with the federal government and the town to ensure that local families and youth benefit from the activities and events at the civic centre for years to come.”
 
“We are very pleased with the results of this project.  It is a significant undertaking for our community and this project would not have been possible without the Municipal Infrastructure Funding,” Collins said.  “Our residents, as well as those from surrounding communities will enjoy the remodelled facilities for many years to come.”

The federal and provincial governments are investing a total of $76 million in the four-year Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.  Participating communities are expected to contribute one-half the cost of any project, which will raise the total infrastructure investment above $152 million.

In 2005, the Government of Canada signed an agreement with Saskatchewan to provide more than $147 million in federal gas tax funding over five years to the province’s municipalities.  Watrous has used the majority of its funding for the Civic Centre project.

-30-

For more information, contact:

Brenda Tarasiuk
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-975-5943
Email: www.wd.gc.ca
Toll Free: 1-888-338-9378

Cathy Gourlie
Saskatchewan Government Relations
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2687
Email: cgourlie@gr.gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-535-1307