Inauguration of the Town of Barkmere's new Town Hall and Community Centre

BARKMERE, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Dec. 19, 2016) - Barkmere residents can now enjoy a new Town Hall and Community Centre that will enable the Town to remain a vibrant, healthy and inclusive community for future generations.

David de Burgh Graham, Member of Parliament for Laurentides-Labelle, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Yves St-Denis, Member of the National Assembly for Argenteuil and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, on behalf of Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Montréal region, are pleased to announce, on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Town Hall and Community Centre, that Barkmere has received over $700,000 in government assistance for this project from the Quebec Municipalities Infrastructure Program (QMIP) as well as the Federal Gas Tax Fund and a contribution from the Government of Quebec.

The Town of Barkmere's project consisted of reconstructing the Town Hall and Community Centre. The total area of this two-storey building is nearly 2,000 square feet. The ground floor is primarily dedicated to the Town Hall, while the second floor is occupied by the Community Centre. Among the main features are a reception room, a lobby, a boardroom and a community room, as well as two small kitchens and an archives room. The project also included a number of administrative offices.

Quotes

"We are making investments that are already improving the quality of life for everyone while establishing a solid foundation for a sustainable economic future. The Federal Gas Tax Fund is a flexible financing program that allows communities to attribute federal funds to their priority infrastructure projects. I am pleased to see that this funding made it possible to achieve the new Barkmere community centre, which will improve residents' quality of life for years to come."

David de Burgh Graham, Member of Parliament for Laurentides-Labelle, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

"I am very pleased to take part today in this important event highlighting the inauguration of the new municipal building in Barkmere, which now brings together the new Town Hall and the Community Centre under the same roof. This new major piece of infrastructure for the municipality will ensure the safety and well-being of employees and citizens, in addition to meeting the community's needs and expectations in terms of municipal services."

Yves St-Denis, Member of the National Assembly for Argenteuil, on behalf of Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Minister of Public Security, and Minister responsible for the Montréal region.

"The Government of Quebec is proud to have taken part in the project to rebuild Barkmere Town Hall, including the Community Centre. This is a great example of the partnership that exists between the government and the municipalities. The inauguration of this new infrastructure is important for the community since it will house the heart of the municipality's activities, strengthen the citizens' feeling of belonging, and improve the quality of service offered to the public."

Christine St-Pierre, Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie and Minister responsible for the Laurentides region.

"This new municipal building in Barkmere is an excellent example of an initiative that will promote prosperity for small municipalities. These small municipalities are in close contact with their populations, enabling citizens to directly influence the decisions that impact them by being in direct contact with their elected representatives. This building also demonstrates that it is possible for small municipalities to carry out projects within established budgets, without any surplus."

Luc Trépanier, Mayor of Barkmere

Quick Facts

• Construction of the new Town Hall was made possible by $510,738 in financial assistance from the QMIP Program. The eligible costs for this project are $785,751, of which the Government of Quebec contributed $510,738; the Town of Barkmere provided the balance of the funding.
• The new Community Centre received $219,142 from the Federal Gas Tax Fund and Quebec's contribution. The Government of Canada's share was $155,153, while the Government of Quebec provided $63,989.

Associated links

The Government of Canada's $180 billion-plus infrastructure plan: http://www.budget.gc.ca/fes-eea/2016/docs/themes/infrastructure-en.html

Federal investment in Quebec infrastructure projects: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/index-eng.html

The New Building Canada Plan: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nbcp-npcc-eng.html

To read the Federal Gas Tax Fund Agreement between Canada and Quebec: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/prog/agreements-ententes/gtf-fte/2014-qc-eng.html

For more information about the "Programme de la taxe sur l'essence et la contribution du Québec 2014−2018": http://www.mamot.gouv.qc.ca/infrastructures/programme-de-transfert/programme-de-la-taxe-sur-lessence-et-de-la-contribution-du-quebec-2014-2018-tecq/ (in French only)

For more information on the Quebec Municipalities Infrastructure Program, please visit:
http://www.mamot.gouv.qc.ca/infrastructures (in French only).

Twitter: @INFC_eng

Website: Infrastructure Canada