Ministers Present Funding for Rigolet Shelter, Winter Transportation

While attending a community feast in the north coast community of Rigolet on Friday, the Honourable Patty Pottle, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, and the Honourable John Hickey, Minister of Labrador Affairs, presented funding to assist victims of violence and improve the community�s winter road transportation system.

Ministers Pottle and Hickey visited Rigolet following the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador�s unveiling of Budget 2009, which featured a more than $135 million investment in Labrador through the Northern Strategic Plan (NSP).

The ministers presented the Rigolet Partnership Against Family Violence with $30,000 from the Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI), towards the establishment of a shelter in Rigolet. Budget 2009 provides a further $60,000 to help make the shelter a reality.

�The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to provide this funding to the Rigolet Partnership Against Family Violence, which has been working hard to create a sanctuary for women and children,� said Minister Pottle. �The partnership has also asked the Provincial Government to work with them to secure funding from the Government of Canada for the establishment of shelters in coastal communities, and we will assist them in every way we can.�

�Women and children who are victims of violence require a safe haven where they can take the necessary steps to recover from the abuse they have suffered,� said Minister Hickey. �In rural and isolated communities, escaping that violence can be all the more difficult. The Williams Government is working on many fronts to stop domestic violence, and is pleased to support the Rigolet Partnership Against Family Violence in its efforts to establish this shelter.�

Ministers Pottle and Hickey were also pleased to present the community of Rigolet with funding of $304,000 for the purchase of a Piston Bully snowmobile trail groomer to maintain the trail between Rigolet and Mulligan.

�The Provincial Government remains deeply committed to maintaining and enhancing the groomed trails that link isolated communities,� said Minister Hickey. �This commitment, made under the Northern Strategic Plan, will see some $390,000 spent in the 2009-10 fiscal year for grooming operations through the Labrador Transportation Grooming Subsidy.�

�The winter months bring much isolation to the communities of coastal Labrador, and our winter road system is a vital link for these communities,� said Minister Pottle. �The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to be able to provide Rigolet with the necessary funding to maintain this key transportation network.�

Currently entering its third year, the NSP covers a range of initiatives that advance programs and services for all of Labrador. It is expected that more than $400 million will be spent over the course of the five-year plan. Through partnerships with governments, Aboriginal groups and community leaders, the NSP will continue to evolve as the needs of Labradorians are addressed.

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Media contact:
John Tompkins
Director of Communications
Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
709-729-1674, 728-7762
jtompkins@gov.nl.ca

2009 03 30                              12:05 p.m.