Barraute, Quebec, February 29, 2012 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announces that the Corporation du parc des loisirs et des sports de plein air du Mont-Vidéo was granted funding to expand its lodging supply.
“These improvements will allow the Corporation du parc des loisirs et des sports de plein air du Mont-Vidéo to attract outdoor enthusiasts year round and will help promote the development of recreational tourism in the Abitibi Regional County Municipality,”
says Minister Lebel.
The project involved the construction of five new 10-person cabins with common areas. This initiative is aimed at encouraging visitors to extend their stay in the area, a key priority in the Corporation’s diversification plan.
This support was provided in the form of a $200,000 non-repayable contribution granted through Canada Economic Development’s Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec’s Forest Economies (TISQFE).
The TISQFE 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 sustainable development.
Last 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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François Bélisle
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-825-3976
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
