Aluminium Valley Society Receives Funding From Government of Canada

CHICOUTIMI, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Nov. 25, 2013) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announces that the Aluminium Valley Society has been granted financial assistance to assess the needs of five aluminium smelters in the Persian Gulf. This operation will enable the Society to, among other things, identify potential business opportunities for Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean equipment manufacturers.

"The Government of Canada supports organizations that, like the Aluminium Valley Society, are helping businesses gain a foothold in foreign markets. The commercial ties they forge abroad create jobs and stimulate economic growth here at home," said Minister Lebel.

Since its founding in 2001, the Aluminium Valley Society has been helping build the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region into one of the world's leading hubs of aluminium production and processing. The organization mobilizes stakeholders in order to attract enterprises of international scope and works to create the conditions necessary to promoting the emergence and expansion of aluminium companies in Quebec.

The funding will serve to increase the presence of regional equipment suppliers in the Persian Gulf aluminium smelters by providing them with concrete opportunities to sell their products and services. To achieve this, an individual will be hired to identify the needs of the smelters and create links with the regional equipment suppliers capable of meeting their requirements. The focus will be on addressing these needs along with the aluminium smelters' ongoing operations and improvement projects.

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This assistance, granted in the form of a $30,625 non-repayable financial contribution, has been awarded through Canada Economic Development's Quebec Economic Development Program.

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