Christmas has come early this year for the community of Evangeline. Thanks to investments made by the federal and provincial governments, the Evangeline Multi-Generational Sports Facility will be rebuilt after a devastating fire on April 11, 2010.
“With an investment of almost $1.6 million, our government is pleased to partner with the provincial government and the Evangeline Recreation Commission to support the construction of this new sports facility,” said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. “Facilities like this centre provide social, physical and economic benefits to a community that enriches the quality of life enjoyed by area residents.”
Evangeline is among the many rural communities across Prince Edward Island to have received funding from the Building Canada Fund infrastructure program. The Communities Component focuses on projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000 – helping these small communities face their unique challenges.
“This new facility will be a tremendous benefit to the health and well being of the Acadian community, and the province’s $1.6 million investment will serve as a fine example of our government’s commitment to rural Prince Edward Island” said Premier Robert Ghiz. “But beyond that, this project shows that great things are possible when communities come together and rally toward a common goal.”
The Government of Canada, through the Building Canada Fund Communities Component and the Recreational Infrastructure Fund Canada, has invested almost $1.6 million. The Province of Prince Edward Island, through Build PEI and the Island Community Fund, has invested an additional $1.6 million and the Evangeline Recreation Commission has made an investment of $2 million to rebuild the Evangeline Multi-Generational Sports Facility.
“The new rink and recreation facility to be built on the same site as the former Evangeline Recreation Center is a testimony of a community rallying behind a common goal and determined to achieve that goal,” said Guy Arsenault, President of the Evangeline Recreation Commission. “The community will once again have a facility that will offer much-needed recreational and cultural activities to all residents. We are tremendously grateful to all for their important contribution towards the construction of our new facility.”
This investment will be used to build a new, multi-generational sports facility to replace the community’s recreation centre which was destroyed. This new facility will house a new NHL-sized ice surface and related dressing rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, administration offices and a hospitality centre. The new facility will also use new environmentally friendly components to use less heating and electricity. The new Evangeline Sports Facility is scheduled to begin construction March 1, 2011, with completion estimated to be in the Fall of 2011.
For more information on the Building Canada plan, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca or gov.pe.ca/go/infrastructure.
For more information on capital projects on Prince Edward Island visit www.buildpei.ca.