Toronto, Ontario, August 2, 2012 - The Harper Government is investing in innovative wastewater treatment solutions to boost competitiveness and mitigate the environmental footprint of the food processing sector. Member of Parliament Bernard Trottier (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced today an investment of $95,000 for a project that will test an innovative water recycling system used to treat wastewater from within a food processing facility.
"Our government is constantly investing in innovation in the food processing sector, Canada's largest manufacturing sector, to help our hard-working producers find ways to boost their bottom lines," said MP Trottier. "This project has the potential to increase profitability and competitiveness of processors across the country by testing innovative approaches to water treatment."
This investment will go to Weston Foods Canada Inc., to pilot test a new onsite bio-digester for wastewater treatment. This novel process will allow the water to be reused or disposed of without having to be discharged to municipal sanitary sewers at a cost to the business, ultimately helping the company, which specializes in producing a wide variety of baked goods, achieve more cost-effective and sustainable water use.
"Weston Foods is looking for innovative ways to address wastewater discharges. In addition to our relentless focus on source reduction, we want to identify technological solutions that will enable our business to continue to grow in the future," said Senior Director of Environmental Affairs Walter Kraus.
Wastewater management is a top environmental issue facing the sector with the costs of water treatment doubling every six years. Pollutants in wastewater systems represent one of the largest sources of contaminants by volume in Canadian waters. This project has the potential to improve awareness of best management practices and technologies to implement sustainable integrated water management practices in the food processing industry. The findings will be released to enable other facilities to implement similar technologies.
This Harper Government investment is being provided through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), a five-year (2009-2014), $163-million initiative that aims to help the Canadian agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive. In Ontario, the regional component of CAAP is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC).
For more information on CAAP, please visit agriculture.canada.ca/caap.
To learn more about AAC, please visit www.adaptcouncil.org.
For more information, media may contact:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Meagan Murdoch
Director of Communications
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
