{"id":17114,"date":"2017-04-26T17:22:25","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T21:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=17114"},"modified":"2017-04-26T17:22:25","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T21:22:25","slug":"canada-150-invests-in-local-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/canada-150-invests-in-local-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada 150 invests in local infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before coming to the Aurora Public Library last Tuesday with some Federal cash in hand, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leona Alleslev overheard a few telling conversations.
\nOne such conversation, she said, happened just a few days previous while out grocery shopping. She overheard Richmond Hill residents talking about the new Oak Ridges Public Library, currently under construction. Their verdict? It was a waste of taxpayers\u2019 dollars.
\n\u201cUnfortunately, their perspective is it is a waste of taxpayers\u2019 dollars because we don\u2019t actually need libraries anymore because we have the internet and all this access to information digitally,\u201d recalled Ms. Alleslev, removing her jacket to reveal a black t-shirt emblazoned with the Aurora Public Library\u2019s logo. \u201cThat set me back on my heels for a minute, then I was speaking to some friends of mine, and maybe a close, personal relative, over the weekend [about Tuesday\u2019s presentation] and they said, \u2018It won\u2019t be long until we won\u2019t have libraries.\u2019
\n\u201cThat got me to a point where I was able to say, we need to have a conversation about why libraries matter. Do libraries matter only because of the physical books that are in it, or are libraries more than just that?\u201d
\nFor her, the answer is clear \u2013 and the answer is also clear for the Federal Government, who granted the Library $97,000 for infrastructure upgrades as part of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Earmarked for a new natural gas furnace to replace the current electric furnace system, converting the Library\u2019s lighting system to LED, and installing new security cameras, the money will not be going towards obvious changes, but changes that are nevertheless important.
\n\u201cThe library is not only the books that are here, it is an opportunity to be in a place where ideas are shared, where we have the opportunity to browse and see things we wouldn\u2019t otherwise see, that we don\u2019t always have the opportunity to do, only digitally, and to not only learn about where we have come from but who we are today and think about where we\u2019re going tomorrow,\u201d said Ms. Alleslev.
\n\u201cIt is my privilege to be able to announce that the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program that marked a national commitment of $300 million to support projects that renovate, expand and improve existing community and cultural infrastructure across Canada. This program aims to leave a lasting legacy for Canadians as part of our celebration of Canada\u2019s 150th anniversary.\u201d
\nFor Aurora Public Library CEO Jill Foster, the skepticism about the future of public libraries has been there for decades, but it is a forecast libraries have continue to buck.
\n\u201cI echo your wish that we stand up for libraries when we hear that,\u201d said Ms. Foster. \u201cTo tell you the truth, I have been hearing that for a long, long time, ever since the first internet came on the scene, and we\u2019re still here. We have repositioned ourselves, changed, adapted, and we\u2019re busier than ever. I don\u2019t like to hear those comments but I don\u2019t worry too much about it because libraries are very, very healthy in 2017.\u201d
\nThe Library isn\u2019t the only local project receiving a cash infusion through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Although the cheque has not formally been presented, a further $130,100 is expected to come from the Federal program to improve the Aurora Community Centre, itself a Centennial 1867-1967 project.
\nThe grant will go towards the $400,000 rehabilitation of the building which will include an upgrade of the ice plant, replacement chillers, and the replacement of ammonia compressors.
\n\u201cSix applications for the CIP 150 were submitted by staff, two of which were approved for funding by the program administrators,\u201d said Laura Sheardown, Financial Analyst for the Town of Aurora, in a report before Council this week. \u201cIn an effort to make the wisest use of any grant funding received, it was ensured that all projects proposed for this funding were previously listed within our ten year capital investment plan as anticipated projects in the near term, thus allowing the Town to address some of its short term capital asset repair and replacement requirements slightly earlier than planned allowing it to achieve advantages of required capital investment subsidization as well as earlier on-going asset operation savings.\u201d<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/p>\n

Before coming to the Aurora Public Library last Tuesday with some Federal cash in hand, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leona Alleslev overheard a few telling conversations.
\nOne such conversation, she said, happened just a few days previous while out grocery shopping. She overheard Richmond Hill residents talking about the new Oak Ridges Public Library, currently under construction. Their verdict? It was a waste of taxpayers\u2019 dollars.
\n\u201cUnfortunately, their perspective is it is a waste of taxpayers\u2019 dollars because we don\u2019t actually need libraries anymore because we have the internet and all this access to information digitally,\u201d recalled Ms. Alleslev, removing her jacket to reveal a black t-shirt emblazoned with the Aurora Public Library\u2019s logo. \u201cThat set me back on my heels for a minute, then I was speaking to some friends of mine, and maybe a close, personal relative, over the weekend [about Tuesday\u2019s presentation] and they said, \u2018It won\u2019t be long until we won\u2019t have libraries.\u2019
\n\u201cThat got me to a point where I was able to say, we need to have a conversation about why libraries matter. Do libraries matter only because of the physical books that are in it, or are libraries more than just that?\u201d
\nFor her, the answer is clear \u2013 and the answer is also clear for the Federal Government, who granted the Library $97,000 for infrastructure upgrades as part of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Earmarked for a new natural gas furnace to replace the current electric furnace system, converting the Library\u2019s lighting system to LED, and installing new security cameras, the money will not be going towards obvious changes, but changes that are nevertheless important.
\n\u201cThe library is not only the books that are here, it is an opportunity to be in a place where ideas are shared, where we have the opportunity to browse and see things we wouldn\u2019t otherwise see, that we don\u2019t always have the opportunity to do, only digitally, and to not only learn about where we have come from but who we are today and think about where we\u2019re going tomorrow,\u201d said Ms. Alleslev.
\n\u201cIt is my privilege to be able to announce that the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program that marked a national commitment of $300 million to support projects that renovate, expand and improve existing community and cultural infrastructure across Canada. This program aims to leave a lasting legacy for Canadians as part of our celebration of Canada\u2019s 150th anniversary.\u201d
\nFor Aurora Public Library CEO Jill Foster, the skepticism about the future of public libraries has been there for decades, but it is a forecast libraries have continue to buck.
\n\u201cI echo your wish that we stand up for libraries when we hear that,\u201d said Ms. Foster. \u201cTo tell you the truth, I have been hearing that for a long, long time, ever since the first internet came on the scene, and we\u2019re still here. We have repositioned ourselves, changed, adapted, and we\u2019re busier than ever. I don\u2019t like to hear those comments but I don\u2019t worry too much about it because libraries are very, very healthy in 2017.\u201d
\nThe Library isn\u2019t the only local project receiving a cash infusion through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Although the cheque has not formally been presented, a further $130,100 is expected to come from the Federal program to improve the Aurora Community Centre, itself a Centennial 1867-1967 project.
\nThe grant will go towards the $400,000 rehabilitation of the building which will include an upgrade of the ice plant, replacement chillers, and the replacement of ammonia compressors.
\n\u201cSix applications for the CIP 150 were submitted by staff, two of which were approved for funding by the program administrators,\u201d said Laura Sheardown, Financial Analyst for the Town of Aurora, in a report before Council this week. \u201cIn an effort to make the wisest use of any grant funding received, it was ensured that all projects proposed for this funding were previously listed within our ten year capital investment plan as anticipated projects in the near term, thus allowing the Town to address some of its short term capital asset repair and replacement requirements slightly earlier than planned allowing it to achieve advantages of required capital investment subsidization as well as earlier on-going asset operation savings.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017-04-27-07.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-4s2","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-25 23:46:07","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}