COMMUNITY CELEBRATES RENEWAL OF THE CENTRE BRANCH YMCA

May 24, 2011 - LONDON – The YMCA of Western Ontario held an official ceremony today to celebrate completion of renovations and upgrades to its downtown Centre Branch.

Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West; the Honourable Deb Matthews, Member of Provincial Parliament for London North Centre; and Shaun Elliott, CEO, YMCA of Western Ontario, are pleased to see this important community recreational infrastructure project reach completion.

Work on this project included accessibility improvements to the Atrium, upgraded roof and walls to repair and prevent water damage; upgraded change rooms including new floors, lockers and energy efficient lighting and plumbing.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed nearly $600,000 to the project. The YMCA of Western Ontario contributed the balance of project costs for a total cost of $1.8 million.

“The upgrades to Centre Branch will allow community members to pursue healthier lifestyles and enjoy a modern and accessible recreation space” said MP Holder. “Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, we are creating jobs and providing families with facilities they will enjoy for future generations”.

“I'm delighted that our government, through our Open Ontario plan, has supported the renovations here at the Centre Branch of the YMCA," said MPP Matthews. “By improving these facilities, we've helped create jobs and we're also helping promote healthy, active living here in London, which is good for our community."

“We are grateful to the federal and provincial governments for providing the infrastructure funding to make the Centre Branch renewal possible,” said Shaun Elliott.

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 the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program in Ontario and the Ontario Recreation Program. 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.