City of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts Receives Support from Government of Canada for Economic Diversification Strategy

SAINTE-ANNE-DES-MONTS, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - July 4, 2011) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced the awarding of $370,000 in non-repayable funding to the City of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts for phase one of its economic diversification strategy.

"This project will allow the City of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to stimulate business recruitment and startups on its territory, thereby generating spinoffs for the local economy. The Government of Canada believes in the importance of supporting the city in its economic diversification efforts," stated Minister Lebel.

The city's strategy will centre on two main areas of activity. The first involves actively recruiting foreign manufacturers from sustainable development industries like solar and wind energy and encouraging them to set up operations and invest in the region. The second is to validate the feasibility and viability of the Espace-PME concept, a business infrastructure that will allow entrepreneurs established on the site to benefit from guidance and mentoring services.

This financial assistance from the Government of Canada has been granted through the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE).

About the TISQFE

The Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies 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 viability and sustainable development.

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 $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 are also benefiting 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.

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