Richmond, Quebec, October 18, 2011 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced the awarding of $54,000 in repayable funding to the firm Solarpro (Gestion Danpe Inc.).
"The Government of Canada is always ready to support innovative enterprises that, like Solarpro, are applying the results of their research and development to create new products," said Minister Lebel.
The firm, which manufactures tanning beds, plans to use this financial assistance for the domestic commercialization of Soft-Ray, a new hybrid tanning bed that uses LED (light-emitting diode) technology, as well as for the pre-commercialization of a paramedical light-therapy device with applications for, among other things, muscular rehabilitation and certain skin treatments.
This contribution has been granted through Canada Economic Development's Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE).
About the TISQFE
The Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies was brought into force in June 2010 to help communities affected by the forestry crisis diversify their economies in order to ensure their growth and create and maintain employment. The initiative's goal is also to support small and medium-sized businesses in these communities in their efforts to secure their viability and sustainable development.
This past July 14, the Government of Canada announced its intention to allocate a further $20 million in funding over two years to support the Quebec silvicultural sector for the years 2011 and 2012.
This measure is one of several put in place by the Government of Canada in the past months to counteract the effects of the forest crisis. Others include, for example, the Community Adjustment Fund, with its $1 billion budget over two years to mitigate the impacts of the crisis, the $1 billion granted to the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to help enterprises carry out environmentally-friendly projects and the $230 million invested, in collaboration with the Government of Quebec, for silvicultural work and the restoration of bridges and culverts on multi-use forest roads. Workers have also received their fair share of support, with the Government of Canada introducing some of the most generous measures in history to help them through the economic crisis.
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Sources:
François Bélisle
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 1-800-567-6451
E-mail: francois.belisle@dec-ced.gc.ca
Pierre Floréa
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 514-496-1282
E-mail: pierre.florea@tc.gc.ca
