For Immediate Release
August 18, 2007

McGunity Government Invests in Northern Ontario

Community Revitalization Initiative to Enhance Thessalon Arena

THESSALON - The McGuinty government is investing in the redevelopment of Thessalon's arena, Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced today.

"I applaud the efforts of everyone involved in working towards restoring the upper deck of the Thessalon Memorial Community Arena," said Mike Brown, MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin. "The completion of the T. G. Fleron Upper Deck will greatly enhance use of the facility for the residents of all of the communities it serves."

The province will contribute $72,814 to help the Town of Thessalon and its partner, the Municipality of Huron Shores, renovate the Thessalon arena and enhance barrier free access for all residents. Upon completion, the arena will be better able to draw sporting teams from other regions, increasing tourism and supporting the local economy. Earlier this year, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund contributed $281,000 towards the project.

"The completed arena will be part of the Town's plan to advance local economic development and tourism," said Dombrowsky. "These enhancements will allow youth and families to participate in sports and recreation and other arena programs."

"Thanks to the support of the provincial government, we can now proceed with renovating our arena," said Mayor Donna Latulippe, Town of Thessalon. "The original upper deck was lost to a fire in 1959, but a new upper deck will realize adequate space for spectators of all sports and recreational activities."

This is just one more example of how, working together, Ontarians have achieved results in northern Ontario. Other examples include:

  • Improving northern highways by investing more than $1.8 billion over five years in highway expansions and improvements through the Northern Highways Strategy

  • Investing in northern health care - this year, a $15-million investment will help reduce wait times in the northwest and northeast LHINs and expand and improve hospitals in North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Sudbury

  • Investing $14 million in tourism marketing and in sports, culture and tourism infrastructure initiatives in northern Ontario.

Today's investment was made through the Rural Economic Development (RED) Program, which invests in community-based projects that support sustainable rural economies in three priority areas: improved access to health care services, revitalized communities and downtowns, and enhanced skills training.

Through the RED Program, the province has invested $33.1 million in 119 projects, representing a total investment of $204.9 million in rural Ontario, since 2003. The Ontario government and its partners are building strong rural communities that work better for the people who live in them.

- 30 -

Contacts:
Kelly Synnott
Minister's Office
416 326-6439

Brent Ross
Communications Branch
416 326-9342

| Return to Index |

For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
Author: Firstname SPACE Lastname SPACE HYPHEN SPACE Title/Affiliation
(eg. John Doe - Crop Specialist/University of Guelph)
Use a SEMI COLON to separate multiple entries:
(eg. John Doe - Crop Specialist/University of Guelph; Jane Doe - Crop Specialist/OMAFRA)
Creation Date: dd SPACE fullmonth SPACE yyyy
Last Reviewed: dd SPACE fullmonth SPACE yyyy