Government partnership celebrates Boys and Girls Club expansion

TORONTO, June 28 /CNW/ - The City of Toronto held an official ceremony today to celebrate the start of rehabilitation and expansion of the East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club.

MP Lois Brown, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; the Honourable Margarett Best, Ontario Minister of Health Promotion; His Worship Mayor David Miller, City of Toronto; and, Pamela Grant, Executive Director, Youth Challenge Fund, are pleased to see these important community infrastructure projects get underway.

The 700-square-metre expansion project will include creating two storeys of office space and a new gymnasium. The existing facility will also be rehabilitated to improve the efficiency of the building with a new roof, upgraded air conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems. These projects will address community demand for more youth programming and will transform the club into an important centre, reflecting the talent and culture of youth in the community.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed up to $1 million to the expansion project and up to $222,933 to the rehabilitation project. An additional $1 million was donated to the project through the Youth Challenge Fund (YCF) in partnership with the Jays Care Foundation. The City of Toronto will contribute $1.3 million, for a total project cost of over $4.7 million.

"The new addition to the Boys and Girls Club will allow greater access to recreational and educational programming for young members of the Scarborough community," said MP Brown. "Our government is committed to creating jobs and investing in recreation facilities across Ontario to stimulate local economies while also providing the infrastructure our communities will rely on for years to come."

"The projects we are celebrating today support our government's Open Ontario plan to stimulate the economy and create new opportunities for jobs and growth," said Minister Best. "In Scarborough, Open Ontario is supporting local trades and businesses while promoting a stronger, healthier community."

"This groundbreaking marks an important investment in the under-serviced neighbourhood of Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park," said Mayor Miller. "Together with our funding partners, we are able to celebrate the bright future of the East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club as they renovate and expand their facility to meet the needs of this community - in particular, the needs of the youth who regularly take advantage of the many wonderful programs and services this club has to offer."

"YCF's mandate is to provide relevant opportunities for youth who face inequities across the city's 13 priority neighbourhoods. That means we fund initiatives that give young people a voice at decision-making tables," said Ms. Grant. "With YCF funding, we are ensuring that not only will the Kingston-Galloway community have access to a safe and innovative new space, but the young people and their peers who will use it most have played a lead role in designing, developing and governing the space from the beginning."

These projects are two of more than 760 across the province that are moving forward thanks to a joint federal-provincial investment of more than $380 million under the 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 about this initiative, please visit http://www.rinc-on.ca.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto's government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and liveability for all its residents. For information about non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    
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For further information: Media contact: Cher Jones, Senior Coordinator, Promotions and Communications, 416-392-5349, [email protected]