London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos (left), Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi (centre), and Mayor Randy Hope (right). Monday July 16, 2018. (Photo courtesy of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent).London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos (left), Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi (centre), and Mayor Randy Hope (right). Monday July 16, 2018. (Photo courtesy of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent).
Chatham

Federal Minister Sohi Tours Chatham-Kent

Mayor Randy Hope says he's very optimistic with where Chatham-Kent is heading after meeting with the federal minister of infrastructure and communities.

Minister Amarjeet Sohi and London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos stopped in Chatham-Kent Monday afternoon to tour a few areas. One stop on the tour included the former Navistar truck plant in Chatham, which is the location for a proposed new recreation and transportation hub.

"I've been here for 12 years and this is the first time I've ever seen a federal minister come to Chatham-Kent. We must have piqued a lot of interest from the minister's office," says Mayor Randy Hope. "I'm very optimistic about where we're going and the strategy we have laid out. It's a matter that we know we can't do it alone, and we know that we need federal and provincial support."

Hope says the Navistar site has a lot of potential and wouldn't only serve as a twin-pad arena, but as a multi-use recreation facility and a transportation hub that would house Inter-Urban Transit and the Greyhound bus company.

The project is expected to cost an estimated $52-million to $56-million. According to a press release sent by the municipality, Minister Sohi says the government plans to invest almost $12-billion in infrastructure across the province over the next decade.

Hope says at this point, funding proposals haven't been made, but will be.

"Right now we're doing a lot of our preliminary work by educating," says Hope.

"I think it's so important to educate ministers as to the goals and objectives of what we're trying to achieve," he says. "It's about building a venue that people will want."

Although there were no funding announcements made during Monday's visit, Hope says it was a great opportunity to showcase Chatham-Kent to a federal minister.

"I found in today's meeting that he was quite impressed with the work that was going on and we were trying to put this on as an economic strategy versus just building an arena," he says.

Hope says some other topics discussed revolved around water and wastewater initiatives and bringing fibre-optic internet to the area.

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