Contact: Mayor Dave Barrow, 905-771-2493, dave.barrow@richmondhill.ca

Nearly $1 Million Funding Support for Richmond Hill Canada 150 Projects

RICHMOND HILL – On Wednesday, Richmond Hill Member of Parliament Majid Jowhari joined Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow and Members of Council to announce three grants totalling over $800,000 from the Government of Canada in support of the Town’s Canada 150 initiatives. With this funding, Richmond Hill’s street banners and utility boxes will be decorated with artwork representing the community and a significant portion of costs for the revitalization of Morgan Boyle Park will be covered. The funding will also contribute to Richmond Hill’s Canada Day celebrations.

“We are thankful for the support of the federal government,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “These grants will not only beautify our town, they will help us provide opportunities for the community to come together to celebrate Canada’s 150 years of Confederation.”

A Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program Grant of $790,000 will help offset costs for the rehabilitation of Morgan Boyle Park, located on Pearson Avenue just north of Garden Avenue. The project, slated to be finished in August 2017, includes the replacement of park playgrounds; installation of a splash pad and covered outdoor structure; rehabilitation of tennis courts and softball diamond; increased accessibility; and an upgraded parking lot. The splash pad and plaza area will incorporate Canada 150 design elements.

A grant of $15,000 from the Celebration and Commemoration Program – Canada 150 Fund will contribute to Richmond Hill’s Canada 150 activities, including the Street Banner Contest, which invited residents to design and submit pieces of visual art based on the theme, “Past, Present and Future.” The selected banners can be seen along Yonge Street between Major Mackenzie Drive and Crosby Avenue, as well as on Richmond Hill’s Facebook page. This grant will also support the Richmond Hill Community Mural Project, which will feature murals painted on eight utility boxes throughout Richmond Hill. The submission deadline for artwork is July 27 and the completed mural boxes will be unveiled on September 30 as part of Culture Days.

A third federal grant from the Celebrate Canada Fund provides $15,000 toward Richmond Hill’s Canada Day Celebrations at Richmond Green Park. Every year, thousands of people in Richmond Hill and the GTA come to Richmond Green to celebrate Canada's birthday with live entertainment, a teen zone, children’s village, beer garden, food from around the world and the region’s largest firework display.

“The 150th anniversary of Confederation is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all that it means to be Canadian,” said Majid Jowhari, MP for Richmond Hill. “I am pleased to see that through these funds the Town of Richmond Hill is able to provide our vibrant community with opportunities to take part in this nation-wide celebration.”

For more information about Richmond Hill’s Canada 150 initiatives, please visit RichmondHill.ca/Canada150.