Distribution R. Desilets Inc. Receives Financial Support from Government of Canada to Improve Productivity

DAVELUYVILLE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Feb. 21, 2012) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announces today that Distribution R. Désilets Inc. is being provided with financial assistance to modify existing machinery for higher performance, acquire leading-edge equipment and reconfigure work areas.

"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting businesses that, like Distribution R. Désilets Inc., are doing everything they can to create conditions conducive to their growth, thereby helping to strengthen the economy in their regions," stated Minister Lebel.

Founded in 1992, Distribution R. Désilets specializes in the manufacture of formwork components for concrete foundations, including wooden forms and the hardware required to assemble them. This growth SME recently built a new 4,000-sq.-ft. facility in order to increase its production capability, leading to an anticipated rise in its sales abroad. Canada Economic Development's financial contribution is earmarked for the modernization of existing machinery, acquisition of painting and welding equipment and reconfiguration of production areas, all of which will lead to enhanced productivity.

About the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE)

The $111,000 repayable contribution announced today is being provided under Canada Economic Development's Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE).

The TISQFE 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 enterprises established in those communities so as to ensure their sustainable development.

On July 14, 2011, the Government of Canada announced its intention to allocate a further $20 million in funding over two years to support the Quebec silvicultural sector for 2011 and 2012.

This measure is one of several put in place by the Government of Canada in the past few months to counteract the effects of the forest crisis. Others include the Community Adjustment Fund, with its $1-billion budget over two years to mitigate the impact of the crisis, the $1 billion granted for 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 have also received 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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