Canada and Ontario Partner with the Alzheimer Society of Oxford and the Woodstock Agricultural Society to Make Important Renovations

WOODSTOCK, ON – Canada and Ontario today announced investments in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Oxford and the Woodstock Agricultural Society.  Funding for the Alzheimer Society will improve their office building infrastructure while funding for the Woodstock Agricultural Society will rehabilitate their community services infrastructure. 

A total investment of $1,500,000.00 in the Alzheimer Society of Oxford will help to create local jobs in Woodstock and supports community centres and community services infrastructure.

The total investment of $840,000 in the Woodstock Agricultural Society will also aid in the creation of local jobs in Oxford and support community centres and community services infrastructure.

To make the announcement, Dave MacKenzie, Member of Parliament for Oxford and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, and Khalil Ramal, Member of Provincial Parliament for London-Fanshawe and  Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration joined Shelley Green of the Alzheimer Society of Oxford and Gord Marshall of the Woodstock Agricultural Society.

“I am proud today to be jointly announcing funding for projects that will get shovels in the ground, jobs created, and enable these organization to enhance its services for years to come,” said MacKenzie.  “Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government has announced an historic number of projects to help strengthen our communities, including here in Oxford”.

“Today’s investments in the Alzheimer Society of Oxford’s office building and the Woodstock Agricultural Society’s rehabilitation is yet again another demonstration of the McGuinty government’s commitment to strengthening our communities’ not-for-profit sector in Oxford,” said Kamal.  “This investment will not only help deliver valued community services, help create jobs, and stimulate our local economy, but will also improve the quality of life for residents in Oxford”.

The Alzheimer Society of Oxford “is absolutely thrilled with the funding that we will receive from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund” said Green.  “This funding could not have come at a better time as our current building is no longer meeting the needs of our programs and services. With the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia increasing every year, our organization is facing greater demands on our services.  This funding will help ensure that we are able to continue to meet the growing needs of our community”.

“This is a wonderful Christmas present” said Marshall. “This will enable the Woodstock Agricultural Society, a volunteer organization that owns the Woodstock fairgrounds the opportunity to do renovations to some of the aging buildings on the property. Most importantly the thirty five year old Oxford Auditorium, which is the largest capacity rental hall in the county with a seating capacity of over eleven hundred people. This hall hosts numerous city, county and regional events and is in need of upgrading and repair to better serve the citizens of the business and the community”.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario and the Alzheimer Society of Oxford and the Woodstock Agricultural Society are each investing one-third of their respective total project cost.  Canada’s funding is part of its new national Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, under Canada’s Economic Action Plan unveiled in January 2009.  Ontario’s matching contribution is provided through the 2009 Ontario Budget – Confronting the Challenge: Building Our Economic Future.

Canada and Ontario are working together to create jobs and boost the economy, while making significant investments that help communities improve their infrastructure.