Villeroy, Quebec, October 11, 2011 – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture), announces on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, the awarding of $300,000 in repayable funding to the firm Fruit d’Or Inc. for the acquisition of state-of-the-art specialized equipment
“With this funding, Fruit d’Or will be able to purchase new machinery and thus reduce its operating costs, improve production control and enhance the quality of its products,” said Minister Paradis.
Founded in 1999, this firm is active in the agri-food industry, a priority sector for the Centre-du-Québec economy. Fruit d’Or processes and markets cranberries and traditional and organic blueberries. It is an international enterprise, with 85% of its sales coming from export markets in more than thirty countries on four continents.
The funding from Canada Economic Development is more specifically aimed at the purchase and installation of labelling equipment, including software, as well as energy recovery machinery (tanks, coolers, variable-speed drives, etc.) for the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes plant.
The funding announced today has been awarded through the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec’s Forest Economies (TISQFE).
About the TISQFE
In force since June 2010, this initiative is aimed at helping 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 an additional $20 million over two years to support the Quebec silvicultural sector in 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.
For more about Fruit d’Or Inc., visit the Fruit d’Or Website
- 30 -
Sources:
Lyne Montpellier
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-371-5138 or 1-800-567-8637
E-mail: lyne.montpellier@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
