Town hopes to celebrate Canada’s 150th with new heritage project

Wed, 03 Jun 2015

Town Council has endorsed five heritage projects ranging in cost from $2.7 million to $525,000 as potential candidates for funding through the federal government’s Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program (CIP). The CIP program provides $150 million nationally over two years to support the rehabilitation, renovation and expansion of existing community infrastructure. Municipalities were invited to submit a range of projects for their community.

The town identified five potential projects to benefit Oakville: Waterfront Trail improvements at Tannery Waterworks, Coach House renovation at the Oakville Museum on the Erchless Estate, Towne Square renovation, Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park improvements, and Heritage Cross Town Trail rehabilitation.

“These projects would be a valued addition to the cultural heritage of our community,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “The town is ready to contribute up to two-thirds of the project costs in addition to funding support from the federal government. Together, we can rejuvenate heritage attributes in Oakville in honour of Canada’s 150th celebration.”

Southern Ontario has been allocated up to $44 million of the $150 million total fund, and applications are open to a wide range of public and not-for-profit institutions. The main criteria for projects is that they focus on rehabilitation, renovation and expansion of existing community infrastructure assets. New infrastructure, temporary installations or facility expansions that would result in a significant increase of the asset (i.e. more than a 50 per cent increase in square footage) are not eligible.

Proposed projects

The proposed projects submitted by the town are:

Waterfront Trail at Tannery Waterworks

• Construction of an extension of the Waterfront Trail within Oakville Harbour including shoreline restoration.
• Total cost $2.7 million, CIP request for $900,000

Coach House at the Oakville Museum on the Erchless Estate

• Renovation to the Coach House to covert to public use for programs and exhibitions. Interior heritage features such as the woodwork and horse stalls would be restored.
• Total cost $2.4 million, CIP request $800,000

Towne Square

• Renovation of Towne Square including replacement of the pavement surfaces, existing amenities and construction of new amenities (water feature and stage/canopy).
• Total cost $2 million, CIP request $660,000

Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park

• Construction of a shade canopy structure, performance plaza area and irrigation system.
• Total cost $525,000, CIP request $175,000

Heritage Cross Town Trail

• Rehabilitation of a three kilometre trail accommodating a full range of active transportation alternatives.
• Total cost $735,000, CIP request $235,000

Oakville Member of Parliament Terence Young commended the town for submitting such a strong selection of projects and committed to championing the town’s submission with federal officials.

“I am very pleased the Town of Oakville has applied to the Canada 150th fund to contribute to historical projects in Oakville. I will enjoy advocating for the people of Oakville in Ottawa to ensure Oakville receives its fair share of funding from the Canada 150th fund.”

For more information on Oakville’s heritage districts visit the Heritage Districts page.