ST. STEPHEN, New Brunswick – The provincial government donated $50,000 (Canadian) for the 2004 celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the French settlement on St. Croix Island, located in the St. Croix River, which marks the United States-Canada border.

At a press conference held Tuesday on the banks of the St. Croix River in St. Stephen, local Member of Legislative Assembly Tony Huntjens presented the check to 2004 committee co-chairmen Allan Gillmor of St. Stephen and Keith Guttormsen of Calais.

The money was provided through the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs as a contribution to the committee’s operating expenses.

“It is with great pleasure for me to present this check,” Huntjens said. “It further demonstrates this government’s commitment to this St. Croix 2004 project.”

Huntjens said continued contributions of seed money would ensure that the committee could continue to prepare for a successful celebration that will take place in less than two years.

And the money will be put to good use, Gillmor said.

“This contribution from the province will ensure we can maintain our downtown St. Stephen location and continue our planning for events and activities in 2004,” he said.

The international committee has undertaken the task of planning for major events and commemorative activities surrounding the 400th anniversary of the landing and winter settlement on St. Croix Island by French explorer Pierre Dugua Sieur de Mons and Samuel Champlain in 1604.

In addition to a 21-month plan for regional activities that stretch from the fall of 2003 to the spring of 2005, the committee also is planning for a major festival week for 2004, which will focus on the actual date of June 26 that the explorers arrived on the island.

“Our mandate has always been about education, celebration and legacy,” Guttormsen said. “Our proposal for a Canadian legacy project is a major redevelopment of the site overlooking the island at Bayside.”

On the American side, a $2 million United States enhancement of land adjacent to the island will create a new interpretive path featuring six life-size bronze statues depicting the figures relating to the story of St. Croix Island, Guttormsen said.