Renovated community and fitness centre in East Ferris now open

Left to right: John Fior, CAO of East Ferris, East Ferris Councillor Dan Corbeil, East Ferris Councillor Robert Point, MP Anthony Rota, East Ferris Mayor Bill Vrebosch, MPP Monique Smith, East Ferris Councillor Terry Kelly, East Ferris Councillor Rick Champagne. Photo provided.


Nipissing MPP Monique Smith
News Release

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ASTORVILLE – The Municipality of East Ferris officially re-opened the East Ferris Community Centre today in Astorville.

The facility is now fully accessible, complete with a redesigned front entrance and lobby and new washrooms and dressing rooms. Numerous energy-efficient upgrades and health and safety improvements were also made to the building.

The renovated community centre is a popular regional hub for sports and recreation, and supports a thriving amateur sports scene while promoting active, healthy lifestyles among residents.

The Honourable Monique Smith, Ontario Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Member of Provincial Parliament for Nipissing; the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for FedNor; and Bill Vrebosch, Mayor of the Municipality of East Ferris, celebrated the completion of this important infrastructure project.

“Local Infrastructure investments like this one of $1,166,766 from the Build Canada Fund and $1 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) are an important part of our Open Ontario Plan to support stronger, more successful communities,” said MPP Smith. “This revitalized facility gives an important boost to an already energetic sports community in the Township of East Ferris and will continue to provide a central gathering place for many years to come. It’s a great example of governments working together to improve the health and well-being of our citizens.”

“Community infrastructure projects like this are being completed across the country, creating local construction jobs and promoting sustainable growth,” said Minister Clement. “The upgraded community centre will provide locals with a state of the art facility to use and enjoy for years to come.”

“The re-opening of our East Ferris Community Centre is a testament to all the volunteers from East Ferris who work tirelessly to keep our community operating. In 1970, while at a hockey game in Mattawa, some of our community volunteers had a dream and they went on to create the original building. Today, with the help of both the Federal and Provincial governments and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, we are cutting a ribbon to re-open a facility that will last long into the future of East Ferris. We owe a lot of thanks to the sports groups and the surrounding communities who worked with us in order to make today possible,” said East Ferris Mayor Bill Vrebosch.

The governments of Canada and Ontario each committed up to $1.1 million toward the project through the Building Canada Fund – Communities Component, and the Municipality of East Ferris contributed the remaining balance of the total eligible project cost of over $3.5 million. Due to increased costs, the province also contributed $1 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.

The Building Canada Fund in Ontario represents a joint federal-provincial investment of more than $6 billion to help communities address key infrastructure needs across the province.

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.

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