Province comes through with big grant

A North Bay community organization has received a grant from the provincial government.

The grant was delivered Thursday by Nipissing MPP Monique Smith.

Further information is included in the following news release:
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The revitalization of our community’s parks and historical sites is getting a huge boost thanks to more than 700 dedicated volunteers and an $86,300 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).

MPP Monique Smith and Dr. Rod Johnston were on-hand Thursday to congratulate Heritage North Bay, the new umbrella organization caring for the North Bay Area Museum, Heritage Railway and Carousel and the Heritage Gardens.

“Heritage North Bay and the hundreds of dedicated volunteers demonstrate the heart of our great community,” Nipissing MPP, Monique Smith said. “The countless volunteer hours and the vision for the Waterfront continues to make North Bay the envy of Ontario.”

On June 1, 2004 these organizations became the new Heritage North Bay. The volunteers that make up Heritage North Bay are the backbone of an ambitious project, bringing our Waterfront’s “Vision” to life. Volunteers from each of these groups will be working together to create a beautiful waterfront park for both visitors and local residents of North Bay to enjoy.

“Without the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the successful operation of Heritage North Bay, as an organization that depends heavily on volunteers, and as the operational arm of the North Bay Community Waterfront Park would be nearly insurmountable,” said Ed Driedger, Director of Heritage North Bay.

The three-year Ontario Trillium Foundation grant is being used to hire a Volunteer Co-ordinator to assist the volunteers with their daily work, implementation of a computer database system used to track their hours and strengthen recruitment efforts for new volunteers in plans for the future. For more information on how you can become involved with Heritage North Bay, please call Gail at 705-476-2323.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million of government funding generated through Ontario's charity casino initiative.