Whitby, Ontario, June 4, 2010 - The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Whitby-Oshawa; Colin Carrie, Member of Parliament for Oshawa and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health; the Honourable Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Joe Dickson, Member of Provincial Parliament for Ajax-Pickering; and Karin Martens, President of the Humane Society of Durham, today celebrated the groundbreaking for a new facility in Whitby. The new facility will feature 6,205 square feet of space that will enable the humane society to house more animals in a healthy and secure environment.
"The Government of Canada is supporting important infrastructure projects all across the region, and once it's built the new Humane Society will be a great addition to our community," said Minister Flaherty. "As part of Canada's Economic Action Plan, this is one of dozens of new projects we are investing in, including roads, arenas, community centres, water systems, and more."
"The new Humane Society facility will benefit the community for years to come," said MP Carrie. "While the construction of the facility will create jobs right now, the organization it will house will have a significant impact on the well-being of animals in this region well into the future."
"The McGuinty government is proud to invest in essential infrastructure projects across the province as part of our five-year Open Ontario plan," said Minister Duguid. "These improvements boost our economy and help our communities meet their highest priority infrastructure needs."
"Infrastructure investments are an important part of the province's new Open Ontario plan to create jobs and opportunities for Ontario families, "said MPP Dickson. "The construction of a new facility will ensure that animals in Durham Region are housed in a safe and healthy environment."
"We at the Humane Society are absolutely ecstatic to be breaking ground on our new facility, exactly one year after the land was purchased thanks to generous donations from our many supporters," said Ms. Martens. "We're thrilled to have support from the entire community and both the federal and provincial governments as we watch our dream become a reality."
Total eligible project costs are estimated at $2,091,000. The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed up to $697,000 toward this project. The Humane Society of Durham Region will contribute the balance of funding.
Federal support for this project is being provided through the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, a key component of Canada's Economic Action Plan, which invests in infrastructure projects across Canada to stimulate economic activity and create jobs.
The contribution from the Province of Ontario comes from its 2009 provincial budget, which is supporting more than 300,000 jobs and strengthening Ontario's economy.
Since 2007, the governments of Canada and Ontario have committed more than $13 billion in funding to over 6,400 infrastructure projects across the province.
For more information, please contact:
Constituency Office of MP Carrie
(905) 440-4868
Constituency Office of MPP Dickson
(905) 427-2060
Humane Society of Durham Region
(905) 433-2022
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
