Government of Canada invests in Mahone Bay Community Centre

October 15, 2009

MP Gerald Keddy shakes hands with Paul Seltzer, Chair of the Mahone Bay Centre Society, congratulating him on all of the Centre's success to date!


Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia - Area residents will soon benefit from a series of upgrades to the Mahone Bay Community Centre thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). Gerald Keddy, Member of Parliament for South Shore-St. Margaret’s, on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced an investment of more than $100,000 to expand and diversify the offerings of the facility.

“Through our government’s Economic Action Plan, we continue to provide timely and targeted stimulus to communities across Canada,” said MP Keddy. “Enhancing this facility creates important economic activity and provides long-term benefits to the people of the area―making it an attractive place to live, work, and do business.”

Upgrades to the community centre will create much needed resource space for youth, local groups, and entrepreneurs. Once complete, the improvements will not only reduce operating and energy costs, they will enable the facility to host a wider variety of community events year-round.

“The centre has long been a source of educational and recreational activity,” Paul Seltzer, Chair, Mahone Bay Community Centre Society. “These enhancements will ensure that it can continue in that role, and also become a contributor to the economic growth of our community.”

The Mahone Bay Community Centre, located in the town's old heritage school, is home to a thriving arts and cultural community on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The mission of the Centre is to be of benefit to the greater Mahone Bay community for culture, recreation, life-long learning and community development.

ACOA’s $113,134 investment is being made through the Innovative Communities Fund, which focuses on investments that lead to long-term employment and economic capacity building in rural communities.