Officials Celebrate the Opening of the Devon Riverfront Trail and Highlight Progress on the River Valley Alliance Capital Program

DEVON, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - June 18, 2016) - The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and His Worship Mayor Stephen Lindop today participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the Devon Riverfront Trail and highlight the overall progress being made on the River Valley Alliance Capital Program.

As part of the River Valley Alliance Program, the new primary trail system in Devon loops around Voyageur Park along the North Saskatchewan River. It connects to the existing trails, as well as the Devon Lions Campground, and will serve as a gathering place for friends and families to come together and enjoy the area's beautiful river valley setting and luscious green spaces.

Several other River Valley Alliance projects are nearly completed or will be breaking ground in the summer of 2016. The Terwillegar Pedestrian Bridge and the West Trails, set to open in fall 2016, will provide access to Edmonton's vast river valley trail network. Parkland County will soon break ground on the Devonian Botanical Garden Trail, and provide a multi-use avenue to one of Alberta's most popular destinations. Strathcona County will soon be linked to both Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton through extensions to its Riverside Nature Trail. Sturgeon County will break ground on a trail to access the rich cultural history of the community of Lamoureux. The North Saskatchewan River Valley will soon be accessible and connected from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan through the dedication and support of the River Valley Alliance partners.

By providing access to the North Saskatchewan River Valley and developing amenities that promote an active and healthy outdoors lifestyle, the overarching River Valley Alliance Program will help to preserve the river valley, making it accessible for generations to come. It will allow families to share unique experiences, create fond memories and live the quality of life that Canadians want and expect.

Quotes

"Funding public infrastructure is really about building communities and helping people. As a former city councilor, I know how important the trail improvements are to the people of Devon. It is my pleasure to be able to mark the completion of the upgrades to the Riverfront Trail. The larger River Valley Alliance Capital Program is a wonderful initiative that will improve people's access to the North Saskatchewan River and make our community more livable for decades to come."

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"This partnership between Alberta Environment and Parks, Infrastructure Canada, and local municipalities has proven to be a tremendous investment in the preservation of valuable green spaces and trail access along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. I look forward to watching this initiative unfold, as trails are linked from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan, and I congratulate the River Valley Alliance and our local communities for the hard work and dedication that have made this project a success."

The Honourable Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks, Alberta

"As one of the seven founding members of the River Valley Alliance, the Town of Devon is very pleased to welcome Minister Amarjeet Sohi and guests to celebrate this official opening. Devon is well known as a healthy, active, sustainable and inclusive community, and these trails are widely used by residents and non-residents of all mobility capabilities. Over 95% of our residents list our river valley trails as our number one asset."

Stephen Lindop, Mayor of Devon

"The River Valley Alliance and our partner municipalities are proud of these new Devon trails and the progress we have made on projects along the length of the Capital Region River Valley. With three levels of government support - and investment in Alberta's economy at this critical time - we celebrate our mutual dream of developing a continuous, publicly accessible river valley park."

Chris Sheard, River Valley Alliance Board Chair

Quick Facts



-- The Government of Canada contributed $993,333 through the 2007 Building
Canada Fund - Major Infrastructure Component toward the total cost of
the Devon Riverfront Trail.
-- The Government of Alberta also contributed $993,333 to this project.
-- The Town of Devon contributed the remaining $993,333 of the total cost
of this $2,980, 000 million project.
-- Overall, the federal government is contributing up to $30,000,000
through the Building Canada Fund - Major Infrastructure Component
towards the River Valley Alliance Capital Program.



Associated links

To see details on federal infrastructure investments in Alberta: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/ab-eng.html.

To learn more about Canada's new infrastructure plan: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/index-eng.html.

To learn more about the Building Canada Fund - Major Infrastructure Component: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/prog/bcf-fcc-eng.html#mic-vgi.

For additional information on the New Building Canada Plan: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nbcp-npcc-eng.html.

To learn more about the Town of Devon, visit www.devon.ca.

For additional information on Alberta Environment and Parks: http://aep.alberta.ca/.

Twitter: @INFC_eng

Web: Infrastructure Canada

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Brook Simpson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
613-219-0149
Brook.Simpson@canada.ca


Kyle Ferguson
Press Secretary
Alberta Environment and Parks
kyle.ferguson@gov.ab.ca
780-641-9846


Candyce Neill
Communications Coordinator
Town of Devon
780-987-8302
cneill@devon.ca


Tanya Klein
Communications Coordinator
River Valley Alliance
780-964-9543
tanya.klein@rivervalley.ab.ca


Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
media@infc.gc.ca