A monument honouring past and current naval contributions will be complete just in time for the 2022 Memorial Cup.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) announced Tuesday morning that it would invest $300,000 in a naval memorial across from Fort La Tour in Saint John. The funding comes from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund.
Ottawa says the memorial will be one of the largest naval monuments in Canada, focusing on the contributions of New Brunswick and its residents.
Saint John-Rothesay Member of Parliament Wayne Long, who made the announcement on behalf of federal ACOA Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, said the memorial will honour the port city’s rich naval heritage.
“The fact that a naval memorial naval monument will be constructed on Harbour Passage is extremely meaningful for the city,” said Long.
“It’s important for our city to respect, honour and celebrate our past history because we have a past history that is nationally significant, and it’s a proud day for us as a federal government to help make this monument happen.”
Retired Navy Captain Paul Dempsey, chairperson of the New Brunswick Naval Memorial committee, said the monument recognizes past and current naval events, including the cyclone helicopter crash that killed six Air Force members from HMCS Fredericton on April 30, 2020.
The monument will cost around $700,000 to build, but the federal investment now brings the committee’s fundraising total to about $650,000. Dempsey said his committee expects to receive the remaining costs soon.
In the meantime, Dempsey says the project has been in the works for five years, adding that it’s phenomenal to see it come to life.
“I am just so thankful that Mr. Long could help us with this $300,000 grant. It has really made the difference between going from a vision to reality to construction,” said Dempsey.
