Thank You Serge:
Well Mordechai ... this is your day!
And I’m pleased to be here today to tell you that the Province shares in your dream of vibrant and healthy people oriented historic downtown.
Today’s announcement by us and the fed’s and by a very supportive council over the last many years has finally arrived.
Today I am happy to announce another very important investment for our great city.
As Rob said ... both residents and visitors to Niagara Falls will benefit from the nearly $2.7 million in improvements to Queen Street in this downtown core.
So I am announcing that the province will provide its share of $889, 000 from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund to upgrade the streetscape behind me.
The City of Niagara Falls… I am sure Ted will tell you… will happily provide the rest of the funding costs.
This will get shovels in the ground—providing local jobs and stimulating the local economy.
But more important this investment honours the courage and vision of people like Mordachai and the merchants who believed in this dream.
They collectively have made today possible.
With Art galleries ... exciting restaurants and Café’s they are bring back people to this downtown core.
As a resident ... as a former City Councillor and now as your Member of Provincial Parliament… I applaud and thank your leadership.
I have been amazed at the determination and energy of the Queen Street community's efforts to bring life ... vitality and people back to this important historic neighbourhood.
The provincial government has been proud to support the Historic Downtown’s innovative community programming over the last two years through Trillium and Celebrate Ontario.
This past summer we invested in bringing the Go Train to Niagara.
Has that initiative ever been successful!
Wow 3-4000 more tourists stepping off the train right here on the door step of historic Downtown Niagara
What opportunity! What potential.
Now I am delighted that My Government is able to help build on this success … to further invest in rebuilding and revitalizing the streetscape …to continue the dream of building a vibrant and economically successful and sustainable tourist attraction."
These improvements will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to make their way down Queen Street.
For example ... the pedestrian walkway will be replaced with a solid concrete walkway ... some street parking will be removed to make way for a widened pedestrian area and sidewalk cafés
New streetlight poles and lamps will be installed.
We’ll also see some underground infrastructure improvements ... including updating an old water main and relocation of hydro standards.
Lets not forget these Infrastructure Stimulus Fund investments will support not only merchants and shoppkeepers but families and communities today:
They will create and support jobs in THIS construction season and the next ... and stimulate the local Niagara Falls economy ... now.
Improvements like these will also contribute to making Niagara Falls a continued ... vibrant tourist destination.
We understand that strategic infrastructure investments not only create and support jobs today ... they also build foundations for tomorrow.
The Ontario government is proud of the progress we have made so far ... and we intend to continue to invest in the kind of infrastructure projects that will benefit Niagara communities and Niagara families … by creating jobs ... stimulating local economies and improving an already strong quality of life.
Of course we have invested in roads and sewers but more important we have invested in projects like… the new Niagara Falls Convention Centre… GO Train Expansion… Cultural development (at Brock and Shaw) and important community projects through out the region.
Stay tuned… there is a lot more to come… because in Niagara there is a lot more to do.