R.M. OF BUCKLAND TO HAVE YEAR-ROUND, ENERGY-EFFICIENT ARENA

Released on January 14, 2008

The residents of the Rural Municipality of Buckland will benefit from $250,000 in combined federal and provincial funding through the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) to rejuvenate the community's hockey and skating arena for year-round use.

This investment was announced today by Saskatchewan Corrections, Public Safety and Policing Minister Darryl Hickie and Brian Fitzpatrick, Member of Parliament for Prince Albert, on behalf of Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification.

"The provincial government is very proud to contribute to the rejuvenation of this much-needed recreational facility," Hickie said. "Residents of the R.M. of Buckland, Prince Albert and surrounding area will benefit in many ways by having this facility operating year-round."

"The Government of Canada is investing in recreational facilities to help communities be more vibrant and productive places to live," said Fitzpatrick. "Today's investment, which makes the arena a year-round facility, will provide real and lasting benefits to the health of this community and its economic viability."

Rejuvenating the hockey and skating arena into a year-round facility will improve the energy efficiency for this facility, increase traffic to the area due to demand for arena space, and allow the space to be used for additional purposes, such as training camps, trade shows, concerts and community/regional events.

"The investment from the MRIF fund, and the newly formed partnership with Little Red River Band, will promote intercultural understanding and co-operation in our region," Stubbs said. "The MRIF funding will assist our group with funding to rejuvenate the year-round facility for re-opening in 2008."

"With this funding we are able to rejuvenate the Buckland hockey and skating arena into a year-round facility, Northern Regional Recreational Centre Inc. Co-ordinator Linda Clavelle said. "This is phase one of a two-phased plan to create a regional, diverse and vibrant recreation centre. We are especially pleased with the strengths each of the partners bring to our mutual goal of renewing this building into a sustainable facility and this strong support from the federal and provincial governments."

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).

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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

Wendy Gowda
RM of Buckland
Prince Albert
Phone: 306-763-2166

Linda Clavelle
Northern Regional Recreational Centre
Prince Albert
Phone: 306-763-4138