Val-d'Or, Quebec, March 29, 2007 The
Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of
Canada Economic Development, today announced the awarding of $99,000
in non-repayable funding to the Corporation de développement économique de
Senneterre (CDÉS) to help maximize local economic diversification efforts.
This contribution will enable the CDÉS to hire a resource person whose
mandate will be to support promoters in the development of new projects and to
commission feasibility studies on those initiatives identified as most viable in
targeted sectors.
The initiative announced today confirms the determination of Canada's new
government to provide Quebec SMEs and communities with the tools and resources
they need to strengthen and renew their industrial activities and thereby
stimulate the revitalization of their local economies. "Though hard hit by the
forestry crisis, the community of Senneterre is taking charge and stepping up
efforts to diversify its economy. This initiative will make sure that promoters
wanting to undertake secondary and tertiary processing projects have access to
concrete and solid technical support. The fact that the community itself is
investing more than $80,000 in the project illustrates both its support and the
validity of this initiative," stated Minister Blackburn.
"This assistance will enable the implementation of Senneterre's sustainable
economic development and diversification plan, which could translate into some
15 projects and more than 300 new jobs in a municipality grappling
with the effects of a major crisis in the forest sector," explained
Corporation de développement économique de Senneterre President
Claude Castonguay.
Certain niche sectors have already been flagged for development, including
peat moss processing, which shows promising potential for growth, the presence
of the Boralex power station, which offers various development possibilities
such as the creation of a thermal park, and a number of opportunities involving
railway activity.
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Sources:
François BélisleCommunicationsCanada Economic
DevelopmentTel.: 819-825-5260, ext. 235E-mail: francois.belisle@dec-ced.gc.ca
Roxane MarchandPress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable
Jean-Pierre BlackburnCanada Economic
DevelopmentTel.: 819-953-5646Cell.: 613-816-5094E-mail: roxane.marchand@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
