Residents of Harvey, Albert County, along with federal and provincial officials, today celebrated the grand opening of the Shipyard Heritage Park. The event took place as part of two days of festivities hosted by the Albert County Heritage Trust.

Rob Moore, Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal Wayne Steeves, New Brunswick Minister of Public Safety; and representatives from the Albert County Heritage Trust participated in the official opening ceremony.

“The interpretive site will attract visitors and benefit the local economy” said MP Moore.” “Canada’s new government is committed to working with communities, and to investing in local priorities.”

“The Shipyard Heritage Park will highlight the proud tradition and long heritage of shipbuilding in Albert County,” said Minister Steeves. “This new attraction will be a living testament to the hard work of our ancestors and will present another facet of our history as a region and as a province to residents and visitors alike.”

“This project would not have been possible without the hard work of so many dedicated volunteers and community members,” said Mary Majka, President of the Albert County Heritage Trust. “Now, thanks to their commitment and the support of the Government of Canada and the Province of New Brunswick, our community will have a meaningful place that we can all be proud of.”

The Park, an interpretive 19th century historic shipyard site, will house different exhibits and interpretive panels. Developed by the Albert Heritage Trust Inc., it is designed to complement historic sites in the Harvey Banks area and other tourist attractions in Southeastern New Brunswick.

The Government of Canada invested a total of $102,285 in the project under ACOA’s Strategic Community Investment Fund (announced in April 2005); while the Province of New Brunswick supported the project with investments of $10,000 through the Culture and Sports Secretariat and $5,000 through the Regional Development Corporation.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Kalie Hatt-Kilburn					
Senior Communications Officer			
ACOA, New Brunswick				
(506) 444-6144

Mary Majka
President
Albert County Heritage Trust Inc.
(506) 882-2100

Bruce Macfarlane
Regional Development Corporation
Province of New Brunswick
(506) 444-4606