New Centre for Youth Excellence Opens in Winnipeg Thanks to Federal-City Partnership

Winnipeg, Manitoba, December 9, 2011 — Federal and municipal officials were on hand today to celebrate the official opening of the new Centre for Youth Excellence. The new Centre will encourage active and healthy living for Winnipeg youth.

"Our government is proud to have supported the construction of the new Centre for Youth Excellence in Winnipeg," said the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety and Regional Minister for Manitoba. "This new facility will keep thousands of youth busy and active by providing them with constructive recreational opportunities and a safe place to gather."

"The partnership between the City of Winnipeg, the federal government and private sector supporters of Youth For Christ have turned a former long-vacant corner into a vibrant, exciting location full of opportunity for Winnipeg's youth," said Sam Katz, Mayor of Winnipeg. "As Mayor, I am very proud that the City could take a leading role in making the Centre for Youth Excellence a reality today."

The 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility houses an indoor skate park; a drop-in centre; a job skills and training centre; a counseling centre; a dance and performing arts studio; a fitness centre; a gymnasium for floor hockey, volleyball, basketball, and soccer; a climbing wall; and a multipurpose theatre.

"We have been looking forward to this moment for many years," said John Courtney, Executive Director, Youth for Christ Winnipeg. "What an exciting opportunity this new facility brings. We are thrilled with what the Architect and Builder have done. It truly is inspirational. We believe that multiple hundreds of teenagers will be served and cared for. We look forward to the contribution this new "Centre for Youth Excellence" will bring to the youth of our city and province."

The federal and municipal governments each committed up to $3.2 million, or one-third, of the total eligible project cost of $9.6 million. Youth for Christ provided the remaining one-third funding, as well as other project costs. Federal support for this project comes from the Government of Canada's Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.

Through the Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada has worked in partnership with provinces, territories and municipalities to deliver timely and targeted investment to create jobs and boost the economy. In addition to the jobs that have been created, more than 4,000 completed Infrastructure Stimulus Fund projects will continue to benefit Canadians in communities all across Canada in the coming years.

In Manitoba alone, close to $140 million was committed to 111 projects in communities across the Province. In every corner of the Province, jobs were created when the economy needed them most.

For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure, visit Infrastructure Canada. For further information about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit Canada's Economic Action Plan.

To learn more about Manitoba's infrastructure projects, please visit Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Secretariat

For more information, contact:

Pierre Floréa
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700

Carmen Barnett
Press Secretary
Office of the Mayor
City of Winnipeg
204-986-5569
204-803-3952 (cell)

John Courtney
Executive Director
Youth for Christ Winnipeg
325 Talbot Ave
Winnipeg
204-955-4876 (cell)

Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
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