Conservative MPs fanned out across the country to see the fruits of their labours Thursday.
The MPs conducted tours of projects that were partially funded by the federal government through the Economic Action Plan which was created by the Stephen Harper Conservatives to spur economic activity across the country after the global economic meltdown of 2008.
Locally, Souris-Moose Mountain MP Ed Komarnicki was in Estevan to tour both Spectra Place and the Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute. To his credit, Komarnicki was instrumental in helping both projects secure federal funding. Just over $5 million of money from the action plan went to Spectra Place while the federal contribution to the ETI was $7.1 million.
During his tour of Spectra Place, Komarnicki said he was impressed with the facility and happy to see a number of people at work, which was one of the primary goals of the plan.
"It's a magnificent place, a great facility for Estevan," said Komarnicki. "The fact that Estevan has raised a good portion of the money and had federal and provincial contributions will leave Estevan with a first class facility that will serve the community for many years to come.
"At the same time, it certainly added jobs to the economy during a difficult time for the country, it has been a period of recession and we spent millions of dollars across the country and this is one example of that."
Komarnicki said the idea of a new arena for Estevan began as a far-off dream but credited the various community members involved with the project for bringing the project through to completion.
"I can envision that there will be some great games here, some great concerts and great events here. It seemed as if it were a dream to begin with and to see their hopes and aspirations to see that come to fruition is really quite remarkable and I don't think everyone has fully fathomed the uniqueness of it. A job well done by the local people that never gave up, had a vision, had a dream and made it happen."
Following the tour of Spectra Place, Komarnicki and a group from Â鶹´«Ã½AVeast Regional College braved the cold to take a brief tour of the ETI which is currently under construction in the Glen Peterson Industrial Subdivision.
Funding for the ETI was made available to the regional college through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program which was the arm of the action plan that provided money for educational projects across the country.
Initially expected to open in March, the opening date of the ETI was pushed back to October after delays getting the project started. The college also received a funding extension from the federal government when it became apparent the project would not be ready to open on schedule.
While speaking to officials from the college and Quorex Construction, the firm that is building the ETI, he said he was impressed with the work they have completed thus far.
"It is remarkable to see what you have done in the short while you've been here," said Komarnicki. "There is a lot of concrete out there and a lot of beams out there. It gives you an impression of what the building is going to look like and really it is a remarkable addition to Estevan and it will be well used by this corner of the province and beyond.
"Whoever put this together and had a vision for this particular project was looking beyond just the city and the area and we happen to be in the southeast corner which is really leading in Canada in terms of its economic activity."
