Harper Government announces new investments in Parks Canada sites in Newfoundland and Labrador

ST. JOHN'S, NL, July 31, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Rob Moore, Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, today announced infrastructure investments totalling more than $100 million in several Parks Canada sites across Newfoundland and Labrador.

This major investment includes extensive rehabilitation work along portions of the TransCanada Highway within Terra Nova National Park; recapitalization and upgrade work on the World War II bunker at Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site; and extensive resurfacing work and bridge repairs and replacements along Highway 431 and 430 in Gros Morne National Park.

These projects are the result of an unprecedented investment by the Government of Canada to support infrastructure work in our national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas. This investment represents the largest federal infrastructure plan in the 104-year history of Parks Canada, ensuring these cherished places are protected and secured for the future while also creating and protecting jobs and opportunities.

Quick Facts:

• Terra Nova National Park protects the area where the North Atlantic Ocean touches the island boreal forest of Eastern Newfoundland. The landscape of the park varies from the rugged cliffs and sheltered inlets of the coastal region to the rolling forested hills, bogs and ponds of the inland. Cultural history abounds in the remnants of sawmills and ancestral cultures.
• Gros Morne National Park of Canada was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Visitors can hike through wild, uninhabited mountains and camp by the sea. Boat tours bring visitors under the towering cliffs of a freshwater fjord carved out by glaciers.
• Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site is home to the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador. It has been restored to its 1839 appearance and shows how a lightkeeper and his family might have lived in the mid-19th century. The Visitor Centre contains exhibits on the history of lighthouses and the tradition of lightkeeping. The site is surrounded by spectacular scenery and wildlife such as whales, seabirds and icebergs in season.
• Last year, more than 21 million visits were made to Canada's national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas.
• Parks Canada is present in hundreds of communities across Canada and contributes approximately $3 billion dollars to the Canadian economy every year. Parks Canada's overall contribution to the Canadian economy is responsible for more than 40,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast.

Quote:

"I am very pleased that our Government continues to support the Terra Nova and Gros Morne National Parks, as well as historic sites throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.  Funding announced today will create jobs and ensure that these special places are maintained for future generations."

- The Honourable Rob Moore, Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

Associated Links:

National Conservation Plan

Parks Canada: www.parkscanada.gc.ca

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Jonathan Lefebvre, Office of the Minister of the Environment, 819-997-1441; Kelsie Corey, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Rob Moore, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, 613-941-7241; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 1-855-862-1812, www.twitter.com/parkscanada