GUYSBOROUGH, NS - MLA Ron Chisholm made three stops on Monday and announced over $70,000 in funding for three Guysborough recreational facilities.

The Lincolnville Community Association was the recipient of $10,000 towards expanding their community centre.

The Oceanview Playground Society received $21,000 towards constructing a playground and basketball court.

The Municipality of Guysborough received $40,000 towards a new multi-purpose outdoor recreational facility in Larry’s River.

“I am pleased that the province could provide this much funding for these worthwhile projects,” said Chisholm. “Investing in infrastructure that encourages healthier lifestyles is a priority of my government.”

The funding for these projects comes from the Province’s Recreational Facility Development program. Funds from this program are used to broaden sport and physical recreation opportunities for the greatest number of citizens in a community through the improvement of existing facilities and the development of new facilities.

“Our recent budget included major funding for sports and recreation in Nova Scotia,” added Chisholm. “It included a $500 healthy living tax credit for all Nova Scotians and a multimillion Rink Revitalization program to fix up local rinks across the province.”

MABOU, NS - The Dalbrae Academy Remotely Operated Vehicles team have a big fan in Premier Rodney MacDonald.

“These students from Dalbrae Academy should be very proud of their accomplishment,” said the Premier. “They have done a great job representing Nova Scotia.”

The Dalbrae team finished third at the 2008 Marine Advanced Technology Education Centre’s International ROV Competition at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. Twenty-six teams from around the world competed in the high school category. The Dalbrae Academy team finished third and was named the “Most Safety-Conscious” team.

“Educating to compete has been a motto of my government and watching this local team advance to a world-class competition and finish in the top rankings is just fantastic,” added the Premier.

The Dalbrae team is captained by Milton Lywood. Team members are Isaac Matheson, Danielle van Zutphen, Gerald Mouland, Alex Heukshorst, Alexis Dunphy, Carolyn Murphy and Amanda Lowe. Their teacher is Ed Dunphy.

The Dalbrae students used the wave tank at the Nautical Institute of the Strait Area NSCC campus to test their remotely operated vehicle. They won a competition, funded by the government’s Department of Labour and Workforce Development, at the NSCC in Dartmouth. The Department of Energy also assisted financially to develop this opportunity for students. Each department contributed $20,000 to the competition and program.

“I am a firm believer that we need to help our young people showcase their abilities on the world stage,” said the Premier. “As we’ve seen with Milton Lywood’s team, our students can compete with the best in the world.”