Cornwall ON – Federal, provincial, and municipal representatives joined dozens of community residents and project stakeholders today to celebrate the official grand opening of Cornwall’s newest recreation facility, the Benson Centre.
Guy Lauzon, MP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry; Jim Brownell, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry; and Bob Kilger, Mayor of Cornwall, participated in the day’s events. During the ceremony, doors were open to the public and the hockey rinks and field house were busy with people of all ages enjoying the facility.
The new 193,000 square foot multi-sport complex houses three NHL-sized ice rinks, a soccer field with field house, indoor tennis court, and community activity rooms.
“This is what our government’s plan is all about – building stronger, more successful communities through targeted investments,” said MPP Brownell. “Through building this state-of-the-art facility, we’re supporting active, healthy living and a thriving sports community here in Cornwall, which is great news for our athletes, our loyal sports fans, and our families.”
“This facility was built not only for where Cornwall is today, but where we are headed as a City,” said Mayor Bob Kilger. “The Benson Centre will help us attract new residents, and at the same time host major tournaments that will bring in thousands of visitors every year.”
The total project cost for the Benson Centre is $32,490,083. The governments of Canada and Ontario each invested $9,221,465 towards the project, and the City of Cornwall invested $14,047,153. The City portion includes the efforts of the 3 Plus 1 Project 2010 Fundraising Committee, which raised $2.6 million.
Federal and provincial contributions come from the Building Canada Fund, which represents a joint federal-provincial investment of more than $6 billion to help communities across the province address key infrastructure needs.
Since 2007, the governments of Canada and Ontario have committed more than $13 billion in funding to more than 6,400 infrastructure projects across the province to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
