Funding Announced for Bannerman Park

Thursday, February 21, 2013 - 10:00 AM
Edna Turpin, Bannerman Park Foundation; Minister Peter Penashue, Mayor Dennis O'Keefe at the funding announcement for Bannerman Park pool house.

Across the country, community centres, cultural centres, hockey rinks, swimming pools, and other community projects will soon be improved thanks to support from the Government of Canada’s Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF).

As part of the Government’s Economic Action Plan 2012, Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced funds for the improvement of the Bannerman Park pool house in St. John’s on behalf of Bernard Valcourt, Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (La Francophonie).

“Our government is pleased to invest in improvements like this one in Bannerman Park,” said Minister Penashue. “This infrastructure program is about creating jobs and boosting economic activity, and it’s about ensuring that our recreation and leisure facilities provide safe opportunities for Canadians to come together, be active, and enjoy a high quality of life.”

As part of an overall revitalization plan for Bannerman Park, this federal investment of $496,000 in the pool house will support the expansion and renovation of the 60-plus year-old building. The City of St. John’s, in partnership with the Bannerman Park Foundation, is investing $1,005,000 in the project. The project will include construction of fully accessible washrooms and change rooms, a space designed to enhance community use in the Park, and the installation of a new filtration system.

”Our current pool house has served the area well for the past decades and we remain grateful to the Lion’s Club for their contributions which allowed it to be built,” said St. John’s Mayor Dennis O’Keefe. “We are now equally grateful to the Government of Canada for partnering with us on the upgrades which will make the Bannerman Park pool house a bigger, more modern facility to serve the needs of the community for decades to come.”

The Bannerman Park Foundation’s mission is to raise the funds required to implement the Bannerman Park Master Plan.

“This significant investment brings us closer to our fundraising goal and completing our vision of a renewed and revitalized Bannerman Park,” said Jennifer Guy, Foundation Chairperson. “Our foundation is committed to ensuring this iconic landmark continues as an accessible, functional and enjoyable place for residents and tourists.”

In Economic Action Plan 2012, the Government of Canada announced further support to help communities across the country modernize their infrastructure, committing $150 million over two years for the Fund. The Fund supports projects that look to improve existing community infrastructure, such as community centres, recreational buildings, local arenas, cultural and other community facilities.

The Fund supports, on a cost-shared basis, repairs and improvements to existing community infrastructure that is accessible for use by the public. Recipients of the Fund may receive contributions of up to $1 million and must leverage a minimum of 50 per cent of funding from other sources. Please see the backgrounder for more information on CIIF.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is delivering CIIF in Atlantic Canada with an allocation of $16.6 million over two years.

For Further Information:
Doug Burgess
Director, Public Affairs
ACOA Newfoundland and Labrador
Phone: (709) 772-2935

Jennifer Mills
Communications Officer
City of St. John’s
Phone: (709) 570-2037
E-mail: jmills@stjohns.ca