A project spurred by students at a Timmins school has been installed.
The park on Lonergan Boulevard now boasts a wheelchair accessible swing.
“It’s great, especially for parents that have children that they want an opportunity to have activities with, they may have never brought their child to a park before. Something like this is a big deal for them,” said David Rivard, who sits on the Municipal Accessibilty Advisory Committee.
It all started more than a year ago, when students at Centennial Public School raised $8,000 to put towards a wheelchair accessible swing.
When Newmont Porcupine found out about the students' work, they stepped up and matched the school's donation.
"What an honour for our school to be involved in this very important initiative. I was touched by our grade 6 students’ sense of empathy, their kindness and their hard work ethic. Our students discovered a need, came up with a plan, and with the support of the City of Timmins, The Timmins Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee and Newmont Corporation, the plan came to fruition. It is encouraging to see youth who are already committed to making a great change in this world," said Tanya Vincze, Timmins Centennial principal in a news release.
Newmont Porcupine's Bryan Neeley said inclusion is one of the company's core values.
"Timmins’ first fully accessible swing is an example of how we can cultivate environments that value differences within our community and we are pleased to support initiatives that advance inclusion and diversity in our city,” he said.
At the time of the announcement, it wasn't known where the swing would be installed.
Rivard said the Lonergan park was chosen because there are a lot of people with mobility devices in the area and there is a good likelihood of it being used there.
“It has been encouraging to see the youth take on this initiative. They truly led the way for everyone else to come on board. I’d like to thank all the kids, City staff and Newmont that made this project possible. It is great for our community," said Timmins Mayor George Pirie.
A small parking lot has been installed and there are pathways leading to the swing.
