CANADA—ONTARIO PARTNERSHIP INVESTS IN RIM PARK, ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

June 12, 2009

The residents of Waterloo will soon benefit from a new outdoor sports facility, and repairs to three major roads, thanks to more than $6 million in funding from the governments of Canada and Ontario announced today by Peter Braid, MP for Kitchener-Waterloo and the Hon. John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener-Centre. With additional contributions from municipal and private partners, spending in the City of Waterloo will total more than $9 million.

A new $4.9 million outdoor sports facility will be built at Waterloo’s RIM Park, transforming the facility’s seven existing outdoor fields into four medium-sized fields, and two international fields featuring FIFA-approved dimensions, artificial turf, lighting and spectator seating. The federal and provincial governments will each contribute $1,631,190 to this project, along with $1,631,190 provided by the City of Waterloo and the Waterloo Minor Soccer Club.

Three roads will also be improved with $4,122,600 in federal, provincial and municipal funding. Bearinger Road and Columbia Street will be enhanced through road resurfacing and additional features such as bike lanes, multi-use trails and pedestrian-crossing areas. Pinewood Place will be reconstructed, including the road base granulars and pavement structure, the addition of new curbs and a sidewalk, and the replacement of the watermain, sewer and storm water systems.

"Working together with our provincial, municipal, and private partners, the government of Canada is making a real difference for Waterloo,” said Peter Braid. "Soccer families and athletes will benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, and commuters will benefit from better roads. Through these investments, our government’s Economic Action Plan is helping to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for Canadians here and across the country.”

“Investing in infrastructure creates jobs while providing new and upgraded services and facilities in our community,” said John Milloy, MPP Kitchener Centre. “I am pleased that our governments have partnered together to invest in these important projects that will help get shovels in the ground as soon as possible.”

"This is a tremendous day for the City of Waterloo,” said Mayor Brenda Halloran. "Enhancing and repairing some of our aging roads and building a premier outdoor sports facility at RIM Park will have a significant and tangible impact on this community."

“This project provides an opportunity to place a world class facility in our midst," said Andy Vann, President of the Waterloo Minor Soccer Club. "Our partnership with the City of Waterloo represents the positive impact of government and community organizations working together for the benefit of the people who live here.  None of this could have been possible without the considerable fundraising efforts of our Club membership.”
The governments of Canada and Ontario are each contributing one-third of the total eligible costs of the RIM Park project under the Building Canada Fund - Communities Component,   This is the 2nd project in Waterloo to receive funding under this program.  In February 2009, the municipality received $1,932,826 to rehabilitate the Davenport Road corridor.

The road projects announced today are part of the joint infrastructure stimulus funding first announced by the federal and provincial governments last Friday, June 5, 2009. The federal component of these investments comes as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, which committed $12 billion in infrastructure stimulus, including a $4 billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. The government of Ontario’s investment comes as part of its 2009 provincial budget, Confronting the Challenge: Building our Economic Future. The joint funding is available for two years for projects that will be built during the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons.