Atelier Usinex Receives $190,500 in Funding From Government of Canada for Facility Improvements

LANORAIE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - March 21, 2011) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today announced the awarding of $190,500 in repayable funding to Atelier Usinex. Granted through the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE), this financial assistance will be used by the Lanoraie firm to expand its plant and purchase manufacturing equipment. 

"Canada Economic Development sees it as essential to support this Atelier Usinex project in that it promises to further local economic diversification and job creation in the Lanaudière region," explained Minister of State Lebel.

The company, which will invest more than $453,900 in this project, specializes in the custom machining of metal parts, a sector Canada Economic Development has identified as a key priority for the Lanaudière region. This project will enable Atelier Usinex to increase its manufacturing volume and speed, thereby better serving the needs of its customers.

About the TISQFE

Brought into force last June, the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies was established to help communities affected by the forestry crisis diversify their economies in order to secure their development and create and maintain employment. The measure's aim is also to support the viability and sustainable growth of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these communities.

This measure is one of many put in place by the Government of Canada in recent 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 Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program, toward which $1 billion has been granted to the help enterprises carry out environmentally-friendly projects, and the investment of $230 million 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 benefited from 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.

Canada Economic Development is online at www.dec-ced.gc.ca. Subscribe to the Agency's press releases at http://www.dec-ced.gc.ca/eng/media-room/mailing-list/list.html to keep up with the latest news.