On August 19, 2022, Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Outremont, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced federal funding of over $10 million for the construction of a net-zero community centre for Sun Youth. She was joined by Renzo Fraraccio, President of the Sun Youth Board of Directors. The funding for this project comes through Infrastructure Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.
“Sun Youth is a household name in Montreal – they are our guiding light and leading force in supporting the physical, social and intellectual development of young people in Montreal. Our federal government will continue to support their invaluable work and today, we are investing in the future of Sun Youth. The construction of a new, net-zero and dedicated facility to host the Sun Youth community centre near Jarry Park will help them increase their service offering to vulnerable communities while significantly reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, helping to build a stronger, more resilient Montreal,” said MP Rachel Bendayan.
The funding will allow Sun Youth to build a multi-purpose community centre to offer services based on user needs, including food aid, help for children and students, help for victims of disasters and crime, material and financial assistance, and sports, educational and recreational programming. This project will also play an important role in reducing the organization’s environmental footprint and in meeting Canada’s climate targets for a more sustainable future.
For more than three years, our services have been dispersed across the City. This situation has confirmed the importance of implementing this important project which will provide us with shelter for future generations, ensure Sun Youth’s longevity and will hopefully serve as an environmental model for future community organizations. The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program funding is essential to making this project a reality and we are extremely thankful to the Government of Canada for its involvement,” said Johanne Saltarelli, general director for Sun Youth.
The centre will also serve as a social, community and environmental model while showcasing and promoting values of mutual support, sharing and healthy community living, particularly by sharing its premises with other neighbourhood organizations. Sun Youth will also extend the reach of its social values and thus become a place of learning to benefit the entire community.
