Government of Canada Lends Financial Support to Architectures Toubois (2007) Inc.

RIVIÈRE-ROUGE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - May 1, 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 that Architectures Toubois (2007) Inc. has been granted financial assistance to acquire specialized equipment and modernize its production chain in order to raise productivity.

"By supporting this project of Architectures Toubois (2007) Inc., the Government of Canada is recognizing once again the fundamental role enterprises play in job creation and economic growth," says Minister Lebel.

Architectures Toubois specializes in the manufacture of glue-laminated engineered wood products such as scaffolding planks for the construction industry. The company's project, which comes on the heels of a strategic reflection process and internal diagnosis, involves developing a new line of value-added products. The firm will use this assistance from Canada Economic Development to purchase manufacturing equipment, reconfigure its production chain and obtain the certifications required to commercialize its new products. According to the company's management, this project could result in the creation of as many as 25 new jobs between now and 2014.

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

This $305,000 in repayable funding has been awarded through 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 secondary and tertiary wood processing projects in these communities.

This measure is one of several put in place by the Government of Canada 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 to the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to help enterprises carry out environmentally-friendly projects, and the $238 million invested, in collaboration with the Government of Quebec, for silvicultural work and the maintenance of 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.

For more about Architectures Toubois Inc., visit www.archtoubois.com.

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