GOVERNMENTS CELEBRATE IMPROVEMENTS TO
OAKRIDGE OPTIMIST COMMUNITY PARK

August 7, 2010 - LONDON, ONTARIO – Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West; Chris Bentley, Member of Provincial Parliament for London West; and London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, today celebrated numerous improvements at the Oakridge Optimist Community Park.

“The improvements made to Oakridge Optimist Community Park are welcomed by the residents of London,” said MP Holder, on behalf of Canada’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure. “The City will realize energy cost savings thanks to technological advancements, and visitors to the park will benefit from access to low-cost or no-cost healthy lifestyle activities. The Government of Canada is proud of its role in this important project.”

“Through our government’s Open Ontario plan, we are helping the City of London revitalize one of its cherished parks,” said MPP Bentley. “Our investments in recreational spaces are ensuring that our communities are dynamic, fun spaces that Ontario families are proud to call home.”

“The City of London is committed to building a healthier community, and park improvements like this at the Oakridge Optimist Community Park are an important and fun way to achieve that,” said Mayor DeCicco-Best. “The City is fortunate to have funding partners who have helped make this park a new neighbourhood hub: the federal and provincial governments, the Trillium Foundation and the Optimist Club are all contributing financially to this wonderful project.” 

Park visitors will enjoy the addition of new amenities such as a spray pad, park pathways and trails. The park arena also received a new roof and building upgrades. The improvements, funded under the federal Infrastructure Stimulus Fund (ISF) program, will be completed ahead of schedule.

The governments of Canada and Ontario are each providing up to $487,000 toward the improvements under the ISF program. The City of London is contributing the balance of the total eligible project cost of $1,461,000.  

In addition, the Ontario Trillium Foundation is contributing $100,000 toward the field house, including new accessible washrooms. The Optimist Club of Oakridge Acres is also providing $25,000 for various park improvements, including a new sign, electricity for the baseball diamonds, an accessibility ramp and arena seating. 

The Government of Canada’s contribution comes from the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, a key component of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. The fund invests in provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects across Canada to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.

The contribution from the Province of Ontario comes from its 2009 provincial budget that 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 joint funding for over 6,400 infrastructure projects across the province.

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