Photo by Whitehorse Star
Yukon MP Larry Bagnell
Community centre planned for Old Crow
Yukon MP Larry Bagnell announced funding for the construction of a new community centre in Old Crow on Sunday during a visit to the remote village.
Yukon MP Larry Bagnell announced funding for the construction of a new community centre in Old Crow on Sunday during a visit to the remote village.
He spoke on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, the federal minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and was joined by Dana Tizya-Tramm, the chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.
Combined, the federal and Yukon governments are spending almost $15 million on the project.
The planned new 913-square-metre building will replace the existing community centre and serve as a gathering and recreational space for residents in the area.
The new space will be more energy-efficient, serve as a cultural hub, and provide facilities suited to preparing traditional food for a range of community events.
The community centre will also include meeting rooms, a games room and a gathering area for elders.
The project will create an inclusive community space for Yukoners to meet, grow, and learn from each other.
“The new community centre will be an exciting space where residents of all ages can access cultural and recreational programming, and essential community resources in Old Crow,” said Bagnell.
“Projects like these help build modern communities and ensure a high quality of life for Yukoners for years to come.”
The federal government is investing over $10.8 million in the project through the Rural and Northern Infrastructure Stream (RNIS) and the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream (CCRIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.
The Yukon government will contribute over $3.6 million to the project.
“We are always pleased to support infrastructure projects that bring Yukoners together,” said Community Services Minister John Streicker.
“A new community centre in Old Crow will provide an essential space to gather, and helps us achieve our goal of building healthy, vibrant communities.”
Tizya-Tramm said the new community centre has had Vuntut Gwitchin involvement from the start, “from the building’s design, to its multi-use functional layout to serve our people in very meaningful ways for decades to come.
“This new space will be a vital part of our community, as it will meet many needs for a people in the northern most community in the Yukon Territory, especially the gatherings that shall mark our memories, and time together as we celebrate our lives and culture with one another,” Tizya-Tramm said.
The federal government is contributing $5 million through the Rural and Northern Infrastructure Stream (RNIS) and over $5.8 million through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream (CCRIS) of the Investing in Canada plan to this project.
“Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, is the government’s plan to create more good well-paying jobs, put homeownership within reach of more Canadians, help working people get the training they need to succeed, support seniors, and lay the foundation for national pharmacare,” the government said in a statement.
The announcement took place during the village’s celebration of caribou festivities.
As he announced he would do last month, Tizya-Tramm formally declared a climate change emergency for the region over the weekend.
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Comments (14)
Up 19 Down 5
comen sense on May 26, 2019 at 4:59 pm
20m french school 12m community center to serve very few, our tax dollars that we work for, setting bad precedents. How can this reckless spending continue? My dad tells me he can barely make ends meet with his pension at 77.
Up 12 Down 6
Wilf Carter on May 25, 2019 at 9:41 pm
Wow good points people. Old Crow calls a climate change need but Larry gives them money for a new center. I think money for climate change that does not exist would be more important. Natural evolution of the earth exist but liberals don't get it.
Up 14 Down 2
Juniper Jackson on May 25, 2019 at 1:21 pm
The Trudeau government has been self serving right from the beginning. Trudeau giving away money in the high millions and billions. I think the 12 million that Trudeau gave his friend Bill Morneau's business, Loblaws, was the smallest amount I've seen. Our tax revenue for 2018 was already gone by Sept of last year and the government has had to delay/postpone our infrastructure maintenance to 2020. There are 26 million tax payers in Canada. People on SA think they don't have to worry about these things.. well..you should.. if austerity measures come in, SA will pay ONLY the bare minimum. Senior pensions will be cut back..austerity means everyone. Already Gov is looking at austerity measures, eliminating severance pay for their retiree's.
Every one should be concerned about the amount of debt Canada and the Provinces are carrying. Together it is just over 1.4 TRILLION dollars. http://www.generationscrewed.ca/how-screwed-are-you/explained--government-debt/
How much interest does Canada pay on its national debt?
This compounding cycle continues until a government manages to balance its budget or defaults on its financial obligations. To comprehend the size of the problem here in Canada, consider the fact that our federal government alone spends over $26 billion a year on interest payments. $26 Billion.
Up 15 Down 3
My Opinion on May 24, 2019 at 9:20 pm
@ Larry Liberal
Who built the Ice Bridge? Funny. Liberals couldn't do it so the Locals did. What a farce. Glad you brought that up I almost forgot. Two years in a row.
Up 20 Down 2
drum on May 24, 2019 at 5:39 pm
Election coming soon!!!!!!!! Need to buy votes.
Up 34 Down 5
Needs and wants on May 24, 2019 at 8:53 am
Canada has First Nation communities that are living in pretty substandard conditions, from housing to available clean water. But here in the Yukon, the federal government lavishes a community of less than 300 with a 15 million dollar community centre to replace an existing one. This is the First Nation that owns half of our local airline and other assets. This is not a need situation. This is a want situation and another sprinkling of fairy dust from Ottawa during an election year. Maybe the same fairy can sprinkle some of this dust around other parts of the country where it is truly needed.
Up 9 Down 28
Larry Liberal on May 24, 2019 at 3:45 am
This is great! More community infrastructure means more community. The Libs are hard to keep up with what with all these improvements from mining roads to schools to airports to ice bridges to 4.2% record unemployment, etc.
Up 41 Down 11
jean on May 22, 2019 at 10:28 pm
This is putting your children and grandchildren in debt to buy votes from gullible Yukoners because all of our taxes were spent already.
If this was so important then why haven't they been doing projects like this for the past four years instead of giving our tax money to rich people in foreign countries?
How many promises before the last election did the LIB actually follow through on?
Up 13 Down 40
Patti Eyre on May 22, 2019 at 4:24 pm
I don't know what the heck Wilf is talking about: delivery on? I think it's great, go Larry go Justin!
Up 33 Down 6
Chuck Farley on May 22, 2019 at 11:32 am
The budget will balance itself; news flash sparky, all political parties buy votes nothing new here.
Up 43 Down 15
Yukoner on May 22, 2019 at 9:17 am
Isn't Old Crow a 100% self-governing First Nation with a land claim and settled compensation agreement. If so, why isn't the Federal Government focused on providing services like a new "replacement" community space to other non-indigenous or non-self-governing First Nations communities that need one.
Up 35 Down 7
drum on May 21, 2019 at 6:44 pm
Election year!!!!!!!
Up 44 Down 13
The Budget Will Balance Itself on May 21, 2019 at 4:24 pm
It’s beyond disgusting watching Larry Bagnell and the Liberals trying to buy votes with borrowed federal money ahead of the next election. Does he really think that Yukon people are so easily influenced they don’t see exactly what he is doing with all these recent baubles announced just a few months before the election? Does he really think he can distribute a few shiny beads and blankets and buy the people off? Everything he announces will be paid through ever increasing federal debt that future generations of our kids will have to pay.
Remember Trudeau’s famous promise before the last election that ‘the budget will balance itself’ and that the federal deficit would be eliminated before the end of his governments term? Well, for this year alone the deficit is still well over $15,000,000,000.00! But you keep spending our money Larry - you have to try and get Trudeau re-elected somehow!
Up 36 Down 15
Wilf on May 21, 2019 at 2:56 pm
Let's see how much of this gets delivered if he wins in the next election. He really does not give any consideration to Yukon communities that he knows he cannot delivery on.