$249,800 FOR UPGRADES TO MELFORT’S SPRUCE HAVEN PARK AND TISDALE'S RECPLEX AQUATIC CENTRE

Released on January 15, 2008

A grant for a quarter of a million dollars from the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan will result in upgrades to Tisdale's RECplex Aquatic Centre and a new shelter building for Melfort's Spruce Haven Park. The Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) contribution represents 50 per cent of these projects' $499,600 total cost.

The investments were announced today in Tisdale by Carrot River Valley MLA Fred Bradshaw, on behalf of Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Hutchinson, and Brian Fitzpatrick, Member of Parliament for Prince Albert, on behalf of Rona Ambrose, President of the Queens Privy Council of Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification and representatives from Tisdale and Melfort.

"The improvements to the RECplex Aquatic Centre and Spruce Haven Park announced today will provide real and lasting benefits to the residents of Tisdale and Melfort," Bradshaw said. "The provincial government is committed to building a better future for all Saskatchewan people, and investing in infrastructure is an important part of that."

"The Government of Canada is pleased to help Tisdale modernize its aquatic centre and Melfort enhance Spruce Haven Park," said Fitzpatrick. "Today's investment reflects our commitment to work in partnership to help communities be vibrant and productive places to live, work and raise families."

The Tisdale RECplex Aquatic Centre project is estimated to cost over $428,000. The $214,200 in MRIF funding will go toward replacing the Centre's existing ceramic tiles to meet Saskatchewan Health regulations. The Town will also use part of this MRIF funding to install solar pool heating and salt chlorination systems.

"This is the type of support that communities such as Tisdale need to support existing facilities that provide a quality of life that our citizens have grown to expect while living and working in Tisdale," Tisdale Mayor Rolly Zimmer said. "The funding eases the burden on the community taxpayer and assures longevity for our community pool, and also provides an environment and energy saving component with the solar heating and salt chlorination installations. The community of Tisdale is grateful for the support of our project by the Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan."

The City of Melfort's Spruce Haven Park upgrade project will cost approximately $71,000. The City will use its $35,500 in MRIF funding to construct a new washroom facility and shelter. The new washroom will serve families visiting the park's playground structures and walking trail. The attached shelter will provide Melfort with another venue for local and regional organizations to host barbeques, picnics and other events.

"The City of Melfort is very pleased at today's announcement," Melfort Mayor Kevin Phillips said. "The MRIF grant will enable the City to progress with plans to add permanent and improved washroom facilities and shelter to the park. The Spruce Haven park is a natural setting that adds to the richness of a community and this will enable us to further enhance the area."

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.

The Tisdale and Melfort projects are 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).

-30-

For more information, contact:

Joanne Mysak
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-975-5942

Tyler McMurchy
Municipal Affairs
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5193
Email: tyler.mcmurchy@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-537-7051

John Wade
City Manager
Melfort
Phone: 306-752-5911

Dwight Olson
Recreation and Parks Manager
Tisdale
Phone: 306-873-2154