Fromagerie l'Oiseau Bleu Receives Financial Support From Government of Canada

ASBESTOS, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Oct. 7, 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, announces the awarding of $500,000 in repayable funding to the cheese factory Fromagerie l'Oiseau Bleu.

"The Government of Canada believes it is important to support new businesses like Fromagerie l'Oiseau Bleu, whose creation helps bolster economy activity in the Asbestos area," said Minister Lebel.

Awarded through the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE), this funding will enable the startup cheese making business to acquire equipment and carry out important development work. Fromagerie l'Oiseau Bleu will produce, among others, cow's and goat's milk specialty cheeses.

About the TISQFE

In force since June 2010, this initiative is aimed at helping 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 past July 14, the Government of Canada announced its intention to allocate an additional $20 million over two years to support the Quebec silvicultural sector in 2011 and 2012.

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 Community Adjustment Fund, with its $1 billion budget over two years to mitigate the impacts of the crisis, 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 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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