BROCKVILLE — The City of Brockville held an official ceremony today to celebrate three local infrastructure projects, including renovations to the Memorial Athletic Complex and the Centennial Youth Arena, as well as upgrades to the Brockville Water Pollution Control Plant.  Gord Brown, MP for Leeds-Grenville; Jim Brownell, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry; and His Worship David Henderson, Mayor of the City of Brockville attended the celebrations at the Memorial Athletic Complex, and were pleased to see the enhanced facility open once again to the community.

“It is important to invest in these facilities so that families and future generations in Brockville have places where they can come together, stay active, and also enjoy safe drinking water for years to come,” said MP Brown. “As part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is creating jobs and supporting local initiatives that make our communities better places to live, work and play.”

“The projects we are celebrating today support our government’s Open Ontario plan to stimulate the economy and create new opportunities for jobs and growth,” said Brownell. “These projects are meeting our priority infrastructure needs while supporting local economies.”

Recreational facilities, in particular, are vital social and athletic hubs for our communities. They bring us together as families, friends and neighbours to have fun and stay active and healthy, noted MP Brown.

“Here in Brockville, I am pleased our government has committed more than $568,000 to these two projects under the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program in Ontario,” he said. “The renovations at the Brockville Memorial Athletic Complex, as well as the Central Youth Arena will provide Brockville residents and visitors with more modern and accessible community facilities to enjoy for years to come.”

At the Memorial Complex, upgrades will also ensure the building and its amenities meet capacity and safety regulations, meaning even more people will be able to watch or play a game of hockey, or attend events in the community hall.

“I am also looking forward to visiting the Brockville Water Pollution Control Centre and taking a look at the significant construction that is underway to upgrade this critical community infrastructure,” he commented. 

These upgrades will help reduce the impact of wastewater on aquatic life and the natural environment of the St. Lawrence River.

“Our government recognizes the importance of investing in a healthy environment and the positive impact it has on quality of life, which is why we have committed nearly $23 million to support this project through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund,” he said.

The Government of Canada’s contribution comes from Canada’s Economic Action Plan, which provides approximately $16 billion over two years to modernize a broad range of infrastructure. These investments are helping to create and maintain jobs across Canada for the benefit of all Canadians, and will ensure the country emerges from the economic downturn with a more modern and greener infrastructure.

The Province of Ontario's contribution comes from the 2009 provincial budget. Ontario's two-year, $32.5-billon investment will support more than 300,000 jobs and strengthen Ontario's economy.

Since 2007, the governments of Canada and Ontario have committed more than $13 billion in funding to more than 6,400 infrastructure projects across the province to stimulate the economy and create jobs.