Western Standard - Building stronger Alberta communities.

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:00:30.000 I will move everyone to lovely Legale, Alberta.

00:00:52.080 I'll pass it off to Minister Nally to get things started.

00:00:55.240 Thank you and good morning, everybody.

00:00:57.020 Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are on Treaty 6 land and the homeland

00:01:01.740 of the Métis people.

00:01:03.900 I'm proud to join the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, Deputy

00:01:09.480 Mayor of the Town of Legale, Carol Tremblay, and Sturgeon Hockey Club President, Jean Connors,

00:01:14.580 for this great announcement this morning.

00:01:17.260 Please join me in welcoming Tanya Furr, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, to kick

00:01:21.000 off today's announcement.

00:01:27.020 Good morning everyone and thank you for all being here this morning.

00:01:33.020 Thank you Minister Nally for the introduction, Deputy Minister Trombley, Mr. Connors.

00:01:38.020 Thank you for joining us as we make this exciting announcement.

00:01:42.020 When communities come together, they build a vibrant and thriving province for all Albertans.

00:01:47.020 Volunteers and neighbours gather in community spaces to organize events and bring people together,

00:01:53.020 together, which creates a sense of belonging that has a lasting impact on people.

00:01:58.040 This is the greatness of community, its ability to bring us together and make life better

00:02:02.980 for others.

00:02:04.540 Our community grants program, which provides funding to numerous organizations across the

00:02:09.400 province that support their facilities and operations in different ways, is all about

00:02:13.880 supporting and strengthening those efforts.

00:02:16.600 Our community facility enhancement program in particular supports facility upgrades, renovations

00:02:22.460 and enhancements for many non-profit organizations across the province this grant makes it possible

00:02:29.100 for non-profits and community organizations to provide spaces for albertans to gather

00:02:34.540 and celebrate important cultural events host summer festivals and provide recreation

00:02:40.060 opportunities for albertans of all ages i'm very happy to announce that so far this year

00:02:46.300 albertus government has awarded a total of 42 million dollars through the community facility

00:02:51.580 enhancement program to more than 270 non-profit organizations across the province numerous

00:02:58.300 community projects have been funded this year from libraries community halls and so many non-profits

00:03:05.100 including today's host the sturgeon hockey club which is receiving a 1 million dollar grant to

00:03:11.900 renovate and enhance the arena we are in today through this grant the sturgeon hockey club will

00:03:17.900 be able to continue to do what they have done for years support budding skating and hockey stars

00:03:24.380 and create opportunities to experience the thrill of sport teamwork and community for kids and

00:03:29.740 families in the area additionally this grant means that the club will be able to host tournaments

00:03:35.580 drawing in families from all over the province to experience the fantastic community of legal

00:03:41.260 and the surrounding region investing in the heartbeat of our communities is fundamental

00:03:46.380 to building a stronger Alberta and through community grant programs we emphasize our commitment

00:03:51.420 to bolstering Alberta's non-profit sector. Non-profits hold a pivotal role in elevating

00:03:56.940 community spaces and bringing Albertans together to make meaningful connections with their

00:04:01.420 communities, learn new skills and participate in local activities. Through the impactful

00:04:07.260 initiatives supported by the community facility enhancement program, we're not just enhancing the

00:04:12.300 quality of life for Albertans but we're also ensuring economic growth and fostering a bright

00:04:18.220 future for our incredible province thank you very much for being here today as we make this

00:04:23.900 very exciting announcement on how we're building better communities i look forward to seeing the

00:04:29.100 finished product of the facility and the great opportunities for connection that it brings to

00:04:34.140 the people of legal and surrounding areas now i'm pleased to have deputy mayor trombley of legal here

00:04:41.260 to join us to say a few words thank you minister for the town legale would like to sincerely thank

00:04:53.980 the sturgeon hockey club and the government of alberta for their ongoing support in making the

00:04:59.900 legal arena project viable the town's retrofit project is more than just a community enhancement

00:05:07.180 project it's breathing life back into our community it's bringing everybody into a

00:05:12.060 recreational facility to the heart of our community we would like to acknowledge the

00:05:18.140 partnerships of organizations such as the sturgeon hockey association and the government of alberta

00:05:25.420 that will improve the quality of our families communities and our region thank you very much

00:05:37.180 Thank you to Deputy Mayor Trombley.

00:05:39.540 She's not just the deputy mayor, she's my friend.

00:05:41.380 I don't know if you noticed she was trying not to

00:05:43.380 choke up while she was up here. 0.99

00:05:45.120 She knows how important this is.

00:05:46.860 So thank you.

00:05:48.200 I would like to introduce you to someone who's had

00:05:50.500 a career in public service and most recently

00:05:52.800 he continues to contribute to the community

00:05:55.300 as the president of the Sturgeon Hockey Club.

00:05:57.800 Gene Connors, could you come to the podium?

00:06:00.040 I'm going to say a few words, please.

00:06:01.700 Thank you.

00:06:02.900 Thank you.

00:06:04.300 Thank you.

00:06:07.180 Thank you, Deputy Mayor and thank you for making this great announcement.

00:06:12.180 As President of the Sturgeon Hockey Club, I know firsthand how much this funding means

00:06:16.280 to the club and our ability to continue to make the rink available for the people of

00:06:20.580 Sturgeon County and the surrounding region.

00:06:23.540 We are very excited for the planned improvements as this will allow for our entire hockey club

00:06:28.000 to make use of the legal arena for not only practices but for games at all levels as well.

00:06:35.880 Another exciting upgrade planned is to have female specific dressing rooms available 0.99

00:06:40.460 to our female athletes that allows them to have their own room to prepare while playing 1.00

00:06:45.080 co-ed hockey and this will help to further expand our growing Phillies female hockey

00:06:49.780 program.

00:06:52.120 With these and many of the other planned upgrades, the club will be able to apply to host tournaments

00:06:56.860 such as the Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships which will allow for families from all over

00:07:01.620 the province to not only get to use a premier hockey facility but also allow for these families

00:07:07.220 to experience everything that the beautiful community of legal and the surrounding region

00:07:11.380 has to offer the legal arena facility is one of the primary facilities that the club needs for

00:07:17.060 its operations and programming and this major rehabilitation will extend the arena service life

00:07:23.140 so it can continue to provide hockey clubs like ours access to the facility for its operations

00:07:28.580 and at costs that are affordable to every child and family.

00:07:32.020 We are very pleased to be part of today's announcement

00:07:34.860 and for the Town of Legale and the government's commitment

00:07:37.760 to helping non-profit organizations in our area and across the province.

00:07:43.040 Thank you.

00:07:43.440 Thank you.

00:07:50.840 Thank you, Jean.

00:07:51.900 What an exciting announcement this is.

00:07:53.860 I know that this grant is going to have a huge impact

00:07:57.220 on the Sturgeon Hockey Club and allow them to provide opportunities

00:08:00.920 for so many young and expiring hockey players in Sturgeon County.

00:08:05.520 As a hockey fan myself and as the MLA for Mournville St. Albert,

00:08:09.440 I know how much this grant means to my constituents.

00:08:12.400 More than just an arena, this is a place for community

00:08:15.020 and connection between neighbours.

00:08:17.220 It's a way for us to bring visitors to the area

00:08:19.300 and a great way to highlight the town of Legale.

00:08:22.340 Now, on a personal note, I have to tell you that I have spent time here

00:08:25.260 as a hockey dad and as a coach.

00:08:28.140 But also as a candidate that was campaigning back in 2018.

00:08:32.960 And it was a long weekend and it was a statutory holiday

00:08:35.920 and everything was closed.

00:08:37.380 And it was lunchtime and I was getting hungry.

00:08:39.700 And that meant I had to drive half an hour over to Mournville

00:08:42.380 to get something to eat and half an hour.

00:08:43.600 I would lose an hour of campaigning,

00:08:45.360 but that's what happens in small towns, right?

00:08:47.640 And then I remembered, you can always count on the LaGalle Arena.

00:08:52.140 They had a hockey game going on

00:08:53.760 and they serve the best fries and gravy in the province.

00:08:56.840 So I hope no matter how great this arena is,

00:08:59.580 we continue to have that high standard of the best fries and gravy in Alberta bar down.

00:09:04.520 So thank you, Minister Furr.

00:09:06.460 Thank you, Deputy Mayor Tremblay and President Connors for joining us this morning.

00:09:10.340 I'm going to hand this next portion over to Press Secretary Garrett Kohler

00:09:13.380 for the question and answer portion of this event.

00:09:17.880 Thank you very much, everyone.

00:09:20.080 I'll go to the floor first.

00:09:21.360 Any questions from the floor?

00:09:23.760 Seeing none. Operator, anyone in the queue?

00:09:27.760 There are no questions in the queue at this time.

00:09:31.760 No one at this queue? Alright. Well, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much.

00:09:35.760 That's a wrap and let's give one round of applause for everyone who participated today.

Western Standard - January 16, 2024

Building stronger Alberta communities.

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