RONDEAU PARK—The federal and provincial governments are investing $800,000 at Rondeau Park to build a new picnic shelter and rehabilitate roads, announced MP Dave Van Kesteren and MPP Pat Hoy.

“These investments will help make the visitor experience at Rondeau Park a positive one,” said Van Kesteren, MP for Chatham-Kent-Essex. “This is another example of improvements that needed to be done anyways, that are now benefiting from the economic stimulus of both the Government of Canada and Ontario.” 

“This economic stimulus funding will benefit local workers and the local economy in Chatham-Kent, and improve local infrastructure for years to come,” said Hoy, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex. “Joint federal-provincial investments provide timely economic stimulus by creating jobs and helping Ontario emerge from this economic crisis with more modern and greener infrastructure.

Canada and Ontario will each invest $350,000 for Rondeau Road Rehabilitation, with improvements to pavement, tar and chip and gravel surfaces.  In addition, each government is funding $50,000 for a new picnic shelter at Rondeau Park, complete with running water, electricity, food preparation and washing areas.  Total funding is $800,000.

The Government of Canada contribution 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 construction-ready infrastructure projects that can be completed by March 31, 2011.

The contribution from the Government of Ontario will be from the two-year, $32.5 billion infrastructure commitment laid out in the 2009 Ontario Budget – Confronting the Challenge: Building Our Economic Future.

During these challenging economic times, the governments of Canada and Ontario have taken steps to get shovels in the ground and funding into targeted infrastructure projects across the province. To date, the two governments have announced over $11 billion in joint funding for more than 2,600 infrastructure projects across Ontario.