The Carbonear-Harbour Grace area has received $8,195 for community-based recreation programming through the Community Recreation Development Grant (CRDG) Program, which is designed to help offset the cost of delivering active-living programs to residents in small communities throughout the province.

The Town of Carbonear has received $4,730, while the Town of Victoria has benefited from a $3,465 investment.

"The Community Recreation Development Grant Program is designed to help offset the cost of delivering recreation and active-living programs to residents in small communities, with populations less than 6,000, throughout the province," said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. "This is part of the Provincial Government's efforts to support municipalities and recreation committees, particularly those in rural areas, which encourage residents to live more active, healthy lifestyles."

The 2010 CRDG Program is providing more than $576,000 to over 180 smaller communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to enable people of all ages to participate in recreational and physical activity.

The Honourable Jerome Kennedy, MHA for Carbonear-Harbour Grace welcomed the investment. "As a government we are very fortunate to have great recreation volunteers in our communities and town councils which are supportive of recreational programming," said Minister Kennedy.　 "These contributions will assist them with programs being offered to benefit all residents of the communities."

CRDG applications are considered based on their alignment with the priorities outlined in the province's recreation and sport strategy, Active, Healthy Newfoundland and Labrador (2007). These priorities include providing increased access to programming for all residents; making the best use of community facilities; building capacity within communities to deliver programming, and promoting the inclusion of traditionally under-represented groups, especially women and girls, seniors, Aboriginal people, and those with disabilities.

Budget 2010: The Right Investments — For Our Children and Our Future provides approximately $7 million, including over $1.2 million in new funding, to improve existing recreation and sport programming and to introduce new initiatives. Since the launch of the recreation and sport strategy, more than $70 million in Provincial Government funding has been committed to recreational and sport infrastructure, programming, and athlete development.

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