Government of Canada invests $557 million in infrastructure funding for Parks Canada

Priority projects should focus on climate resilience, public safety, built heritage and improving visitor experiences.

GASPE, QC, November 14, 2022 /CNW/ – The network of protected areas administered by Parks Canada is a gateway to nature, history and 450,000 km² of memories from coast to coast. Investing in these places helps support the health of natural and built heritage, increases climate resilience and creates jobs in local communities, while providing visitors with high-quality, safe and meaningful experiences across the country.

Today, the Honorable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, on behalf of the Honorable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, reconfirmed the government of from Canada commitment to Parks Canada assets and the essential function they provide to Canadians and visitors by providing $557 million over three years to ensure the continuation of infrastructure projects and critical maintenance works. The announcement took place practically near Forillon National Park and highlighted a $9.8 million project to restore and enhance the heritage homes of expropriated families in Grande-Grave, an emblematic sector of the national park.

The government is committed to continuing to invest in revitalizing federal infrastructure for the benefit of all Canadians. Parks from Canada ability to fulfill its mandate to conserve and present national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas in Canada builds on its strengths. In addition to supporting visitors, these assets perform essential functions, such as transportation, water management, public safety, and services to residents and businesses, while being a source of shared pride for Canadians. In addition, the places administered by Parks Canada are the cornerstones of the tourism industry and play an important role in local economies, contributing billions of dollars in economic benefits each year. As for the planned investments in the Grande-Grave sector, they constitute an important recognition for the expropriated families of Forillon and their descendants and a first step towards the revitalization of a sector that will enhance the Gaspé community and contribute to the development of tourism. regional.

With this federal investment, Parks Canada will focus on high-priority capital projects, perform critical maintenance work, and maintain its highly skilled workforce capacity, to continue improving the condition of its portfolio. assets in all regions of the country. Parks Canada approaches infrastructure projects in a way that supports broader federal priorities, such as including Indigenous perspectives, mitigating climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing environmental footprint and a focus on sustainability, while ensuring efficient, modern, accessible and inclusive facilities that will benefit all Canadians.

This long-awaited announcement for the Grande-Grave sector includes the restoration of several heritage buildings, the commemoration of the history of expropriated families and the creation of a distinctive accommodation offer for visitors to this sector of the national park. Created in partnership with the Association of expropriated persons of Forillon and their descendants, this offer will introduce a significant experience for visitors, who will have the opportunity to learn more about the difficult past experienced by expropriated families living in the area at the when the park was created. In addition to being of economic and touristic interest, this new offer will be an opportunity to revive the residential past of the site, to tell the great story of Grande-Grave and the positive impact of these families on the nation, as well as to offer a unique experience in Gaspésie. Information regarding other infrastructure projects across the country receiving this federal funding will be shared in the weeks and months ahead.

Quotation

“The government of Canada is committed to ensuring the longevity of Parks Canada’s assets so that the cultural, environmental and economic vitality that national heritage places bring to Canada may continue in the future. Parks from Canada robust infrastructure improvements are translating into tangible benefits nationwide, encouraging a path to reconciliation, integrating green energy and climate resilience, increasing tourism and job opportunities, and ensuring inclusiveness for these world-class venues. Investing in the restoration of built heritage like Grande-Grave encourages visitors to discover the origins, peoples and contributions of these treasured places and ensures that they continue to be sources of enjoyment, learning and national pride. »

The Honorable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister Responsible for Parks Canada

“Investments in built heritage give a future to the past. The government of Canada invests in the heritage sector of Grande-Grave to ensure the sharing of the architectural value and historical association with the origins of this region. The authentic homes and buildings of Grande-Grave are the last permanent reminders of the bustling fishing villages once common along the Gaspé coast and provide an opportunity to commemorate the expropriated families who lived in the area at the time of the park’s creation. National Forillon. This exciting project will allow visitors to learn about the full breadth of the site’s history, including the difficult times that are part of the past, while offering a valuable addition to the region’s tourist offer. »

The Honorable Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine

“For years, the Association of Expropriated Persons of Forillon and their descendants has worked hard to ensure that the government of Canada recognizes and contributes to efforts to honor the memory of expropriated persons represented by the Association. The houses and other buildings that belonged to the expropriated are among the last witnesses to the history of the community living in Grande-Grave during the creation of Forillon National Park. For us, it was increasingly difficult to see these beautiful unused houses. They had been, at the time, the anchor of families for decades. Today’s announcement was eagerly awaited and is excellent news, and comforts those who have been evicted. We are ready to continue our collaboration with the Forillon National Park team to carry out this project and ensure that our voice continues to be heard and respected. »

Hermeline Smith
TreasurerAssociation of people expropriated from Forillon and their descendants

Fast facts

• Parks Canada is responsible for one of the federal government’s largest asset collections, managing a variety of built assets, in 47 national parks, one national urban park, five national marine conservation areas, 171 national historic sites and nine heritage canals.
• Parks from Canada The extensive infrastructure portfolio includes over 18,500 constructed assets such as highways, bridges, dams and other marine infrastructure, historic buildings and fortifications, water and wastewater treatment facilities, campgrounds, visitor centers and operational buildings and complexes.
• Since 2015, the federal infrastructure investment program has enabled Parks Canada to improve the condition of approximately 5,000 assets across the country. These upgrades help ensure public safety, quality, reliability and inclusion in visitor offerings, incorporate green technologies and climate resilience, while connecting Canadians to nature and history.
• This bridge funding will be used to initiate high-priority capital projects to help Parks Canada continue to improve the condition of its assets in all regions of the country. This is an interim measure designed to support Parks Canada’s transition to the long-term sustainability of its capital asset portfolio.
• In June 1970Forillon becomes of Quebec first national park in the Canadian network. Located on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, Forillon National Park protects an area of ​​244.8 km²comprising a narrow strip of marine area slightly more 150 meters wide (4.4 km²).
• The Grande-Grave heritage sector is an ideal place to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Forillon and to commemorate the former residents of the region. Parks Canada has developed, with the local populations and the expropriated families, a unique preservation and enhancement project which aims to make the houses of Grande-Grave a “heritage cottage” type of accommodation.
• This project is supported by a dozen local organizations, including the Regional Tourism Association of Gaspésie, Destination Gaspé, as well as the Association of expropriated persons of Forillon and their descendants.
• Of December 7 to 19, 2022, Canada will welcome the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Quebecfor COP15, which will focus on the negotiation of a new global biodiversity framework. The network of protected areas of Canada plays an important role in combating the impacts of climate change by protecting and restoring healthy and resilient ecosystems and contributing to the recovery of species at risk. Parks from Canada built assets are the foundation of these conservation efforts from coast to coast.

Related links

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Media Contacts: Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 855-862-1812, [email protected]; Michel Queenton, Forillon National Park, Parks Canada, 418-360-6222, [email protected]