The governments of Canada and Quebec are jointly funding a new sports complex in the town of Val-d’Or and the renovation of sports facilities in the towns of Saint-Felix-de-Dalquier and Sainte-Germaine.
The governments of Canada and Quebec will each invest more than $4.8 million into these three infrastructure projects in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region under the New Building Canada Fund, Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component-Small Communities Fund. The Small Communities Fund is a joint federal-provincial program that provides support to municipalities with fewer than 100,000 residents to develop infrastructure to enhance their cultural, sports, recreational and tourism assets or safeguard public assets.
The federal and provincial governments will each invest more than $3.9 million for the construction of a sports complex in Val-d’Or. The town will also invest more than $3.9 million in the project, bringing the total government and municipal investment to over $11.8 million. The complex will feature a large gymnasium, bleachers, change rooms and multi-use spaces to accommodate a variety of activities, including tennis, badminton, volleyball and basketball.
In Saint-Felix-de-Dalquier, the governments will be investing more than $500,000 each for the renovation of the town’s sports centre, while the municipality will be providing the remaining funding for the project, bring the total investment to more than $1.5 million. The renovation will include replacing the ice boards and windows, adding permanent bleachers, installing change rooms and storage spaces beneath the bleachers and repairing the heating system.
In Saint-Germaine, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will all be providing more than $350,000 each to refurbish the town’s sports complex, bringing the total investment in this project up to more than $1 million. This investment will be put toward replacing the arena’s refrigeration system.
“By supporting construction projects such as these, we are demonstrating our desire to make safe and accessible facilities available to local residents and help municipalities ensure the quality of their infrastructure over the long term,” said Guy Bourgeois, Member of the National Assembly for Abitibi-Est. “These projects will enable Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region residents to practice sports and physical activities on a regular basis, encouraging them to adopt active lifestyles.”
