October 18, 2013
St. Paul, Alberta
Today, Brian Storseth, Member of Parliament for Westlock—St. Paul, on behalf of the Honourable Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced federal support for an initiative that will help Northeast Alberta’s agricultural producers and businesses bring new local food products to regional markets.
“Our Government’s top priority remains jobs and economic growth,” said MP Storseth. “By supporting this initiative, we are helping our region’s businesses gain a competitive advantage, while creating high-value jobs in a key sector.”
Through Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Harper Government is investing $2,180,000 to enable Portage College to establish its Food Sciences Centre in St. Paul, Alberta. This initiative will help local agricultural producers and businesses develop and commercialize new food products.
The new facility will serve as an agri-business start-up centre, offering state of the art food processing equipment and affordable incubator space. Using the Centre’s resources, Portage College is also developing a new training program for food processing technologists. Through investments such as this one, the Harper Government is making it easier for new products to reach markets and expanding economic opportunities for entrepreneurs.
“This is an exciting time for Portage College,” said Paul Pelletier, Dean of Food Sciences at Portage College. “We are creating a centre of entrepreneurship and product innovation that is the first of its kind in Alberta. We are extremely grateful for the generous support from Western Economic Diversification Canada.”
Since 2006, the Harper Government, through WD, has invested in job-creating small- and medium-sized businesses, aerospace, marine and defence industries, and supported innovative entrepreneurs in pursuing emerging markets. By continuing to promote new economic opportunities WD is helping to create jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity.
