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Ministry of Community Services |
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GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE TO CREATE SPIRIT SQUARES |
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VICTORIA – The
Province is now making $20 million available for B.C. Spirit Squares, allowing
communities across British Columbia to create or enhance outdoor public
celebration spaces, announced Community Services
Minister Ida Chong and Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts.
“This is an exciting opportunity for
communities to develop their own unique projects which will allow area
residents to gather and share community pride and spirit,” said Chong. “We all
want to ensure that our communities are vibrant, connected and sustainable and
this program will help support that objective, a key component of our Pacific
Leadership Agenda.”
“We want to make sure
communities have a great space to host public celebrations for BC2008
activities and beyond,” said Hagen. “Spirit Squares are a terrific resource for
communities to honour the past and celebrate the future and they will provide a
legacy for communities to showcase their unique character and history. I
encourage communities throughout the province to apply for the matching funds
that the Province has put aside to build Spirit Squares.”
The program will provide $20 million for capital projects to create or improve
outdoor public meeting and celebration spaces such as traditional town squares
or community commons. Funding will be based on a 50/50 cost-sharing with
municipalities and regional districts, with a provincial contribution of up to
$500,000.
Communities
can learn more about the program and apply for funding, by visiting www.spiritsquares.gov.bc.ca
online.
To
be considered for the first round of project approvals, applications must be
submitted by Feb. 16, 2007. Successful projects will be announced in spring
2007.
B.C.
Spirit Squares is one of three new programs, announced by Premier Gordon
Campbell at the 2006 Union of B.C. Municipalities annual conference, which
began accepting applications today. Also launched were the Towns for Tomorrow
program providing infrastructure funding for B.C.’s smaller communities and the
LocalMotion Fund, supporting cycling and pedestrian pathways.
Each
of these programs builds on B.C.’s Pacific Leadership Agenda and supports
ActNow BC, a provincewide health promotion initiative focused on encouraging British Columbians to live healthier lives by being more physically active.
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contact: |
Ministry of Community Services 250 356-6334 |
Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts 250 356-9869 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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