Ten London monuments and establishments are getting a cash infusion of almost $2-million from the Feds for repairs, renovations and improvements.
Liberal MPs Peter Fragiskatos (London-North-Centre) and Kate Young (London-West) announced $1,829,194 Monday for London to make infrastructure improvements ahead of Canada's 150th anniversary.
The announcement was made at the London Convention Centre, which will receive $715,000 of the funding. The money will be put towards a $5-million renovation of the first floor.
"We had hundreds of applications, if not thousands across the country, but hundreds from this area," says Young. "This decision was made over the course of the last number of months, looking at how it would best be used to celebrate the 150th anniversary. Some of these community buildings really need the work and we wanted them to be in tip-top shape for the anniversary."
City council also played a role in selecting the projects and requesting funding from the federal government.
"We identified a number of projects that could both honour our culture and our heritage and also really honour our veterans as we prepare for Canada's 150th anniversary," says Mayor Matt Brown.
A grant of $158,242 is going to aid in the $475,200 repair of the deteriorating 82-year-old Cenotaph in Victoria Park.
"It's where we gather as a community to recognize those Londoners, those Canadians that paid the ultimate sacrifies," says Brown. "It's our duty as Londoners and Canadians to remember. I am very pleased to see that we will not only renovate this so that it will be available for us for decades to come but also that we are adding both the Korean War and Afghanistan War to the Cenotaph as well."
Work on the Cenotaph will begin in April, with the city matching the federal government's investment. Caspar Koevoets, Deputy Zone Commander for the Royal Canadian Legion Zone A/6, says they are hopeful the rest of the money will be raised through crowdfunding. "We've worked with Mayor Brown and he's set-up a special account at city hall, people can make out a cheque for $20 with 'Cenotaph' written in the memo line," says Koevoets. "You get a receipt for it, and the mayor has promised every nickel of that will go to the restoration project."
Other sites set to receive funding include the main trail at Westminster Ponds, the Harris Park Pavilion, Fanshawe Pioneer Village, the German Canadian Club, The Royal Canadian Legion Branch Byron/Springbank, and the HMCS Prevost Naval Memorial.