DEVOLIN SUPPORTS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF $63 MILLION FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TRENT-SEVERN WATERWAY

April 28, 2008

PETERBOROUGH – Local MP Barry Devolin and the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, today announced the investment of $63 million over the next five years in capital improvements to the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW). The money is in response to the report on the future and potential of the TSW.

“The Trent-Severn Waterway, and the corridor through which it travels, is one of the most remarkable natural, cultural, recreational and economic resources in the world,” said Devolin. “We are taking action to ensure this protected area and the values it represents are here for future generations.”

The report written by the six-member Panel on the Future of the TSW National Historic Site of Canada, delivers on the Government’s commitment to respond to Bruce Stanton’s (MP for Simcoe North) Private Member’s motion calling for an evaluation of the waterway’s potential to become:

A greater source of clean, renewable electric power 
A facilitator of economic opportunity and renewal for communities along its 386 km length 
A premier recreational asset 
A world class destination for boaters

“The waterway that connects us in this part of the country has been a rich and generous part of our history since before the first Europeans arrived in Canada,” said Devolin. “The Panel’s report and the wisdom of its contributors show us a way forward – so that future generations can enjoy and appreciate all that the TSW brings to its respective communities.”

“I would like to that the two Panel members from my riding for their leadership through this process, Greg Bishop from Haliburton and Sandra Barrett from Fenelon Falls,” said Devolin. “It is clear that the entire Panel, and the people that provided them with input across this region, care passionately about the future of the TSW.”

The full report is available at www.tswpanel.ca.

-30 –

For more information contact:

Barry Devolin (705) 324-2400 or (866) 688-9881