July 21, 2010

CENTRAL HURON, ON – At an official ceremony held today, Ben Lobb, Member of Parliament for Huron-Bruce; the Honourable Carol Mitchell, Member of Provincial Parliament for Huron-Bruce; and Bert Dykstra, Reeve of the Municipality of Central Huron, were pleased to celebrate the start of construction on a new multi-use building that will include an arena and community centre in Central Huron.

The existing arena at the Clinton Recreational Complex will be replaced with a new efficient and fully accessible arena and community centre building. Features will include a year-round walking track as well as new male and female change rooms.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed up to $1 million to support the project, while the Municipality of Central Huron will contribute the balance of the total project cost of more than $5 million.

"The renovation of the Clinton Recreation Complex will provide Central Huron residents with a modern, accessible recreational facility that will serve families, friends, and neighbours for years to come," said MP Lobb. “Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is investing in recreation facilities to create jobs and improve the quality of life in communities across Ontario.”

“The project we are celebrating today supports our government’s Open Ontario plan to stimulate the economy and create new opportunities for jobs and growth,” said MPP Mitchell. “In Central Huron, Open Ontario is supporting local trades and businesses while promoting a stronger, healthier community.”

Central Huron is truly pleased that the arena/community centre project will proceed,” said Reeve Dykstra.  “It is only with the partnerships that have been created with both the federal and provincial governments that have made this dream a reality. The community is fully in support of this facility and is excited about the recreational opportunities it will create to serve the municipality for many years to come”

This project is one of more than 760 across the province that is moving forward thanks to a joint federal-provincial investment of more than $380 million under Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) Program in Ontario and the Ontario Recreation Program (Ontario REC). The governments of Canada and Ontario teamed up to support Ontario's communities and create jobs by improving recreational infrastructure, as these types of projects also encourage higher levels of participation in physical activity and community building. For more information on this initiative, please visit www.rinc-on.ca