Harper Government Gives Major Helping Hand to Abitibi-Temiscamingue Mining Industry

ROUYN-NORANDA, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - April 16, 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, today announced that the Harper government is contributing to the development of the mining industry in Abitibi-Temiscamingue.

"The economy and job creation are top priorities for our government," said Minister Lebel. "By investing in the development of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue mining industry, we are showing our firm commitment to supporting the region."

This federal assistance will go to four manufacturing companies (Manufacture Technosub Inc., MBI Manufacture, Arma Fab, and Mécanicad Inc.) for productivity enhancement, among other things, and to one organization (Centre technologique des résidus industriels) for the development of expertise to better meet the needs of the mining industry. Together, these five projects will help further the international reach and reputation of Canadian mining know-how.

"In 2010, the natural resources sector provided employment to more than 760,000 Canadians. Over the next 10 years, more than $500 billion in new investment, like the funding we are announcing today, will be made in the country," the minister noted.

Under Canada's 2012 Economic Action Plan, the Harper government has taken measures to streamline the review process of major economic projects. These measures will help create good jobs for Canadians and reinforce the country's environmental protection efforts.

Information:

This financial assistance, which consists of one non-repayable and four repayable contributions, totals $4,183,435 and has been granted through Canada Economic Development's Business and Regional Growth and Community Diversification programs. It goes to supporting an overall investment of $12,987,897 and will help strengthen the advantages of the Abitibi-Temiscamingue mining industry, a priority sector for the regional economy.

For further details on the five projects granted financial support by the Government of Canada, see the backgrounder Recent federal financial assistance to the Abitibi-Témiscamingue mining industry.

Information:

Centre technologique des résidus industriels Ahcene Bourihane Tel.: 819-762-0931, ext. 0741	Manufacture Technosub Inc. Yvan Blais Tel.: 819-797-3300
Arma Fab Sylvain Dallaire Tel.: 819-764-5445	Mécanicad Inc. André Paquet Tel.: 819-797-2009
MBI Manufacture Stéphane Larouche Tel.: 819-762-9645

Keep up with the latest news from Canada Economic Development by visiting www.dec-ced.gc.ca or subscribing to @CanEconDev on Twitter.

RECENT FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE

ABITIBI-TÉMISCAMINGUE MINING INDUSTRY

Backgrounder

Promoter / City	Contribution - Investment - Description
Business and Regional Growth program
Centre technologique des résidus industriels (CTRI) (Rouyn-Noranda)	Non-repayable contribution of $2,385,360 / total investment of $4,532,715 Project: Establishing an industrial minerals processing and high technology centre to provide the region with development capabilities. This industry is in full expansion in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. A college technology transfer centre, the CTRI is dedicated to stimulating innovation and technology development associated with the reclamation of industrial waste and under-used resources from the forestry, mining and agricultural sectors.
Manufacture Technosub Inc. (Rouyn-Noranda)	Repayable contribution of $802,075 / total investment of $3,043,300 Project: Improving the company's productivity through the acquisition of new equipment and expansion of its plant. Manufacture Technosub Inc. develops and sells pumping solutions tailored to the needs of its clients in the mining sector. The company designs, manufactures and repairs pumps and pump components based on specific customer needs.
MBI Manufacture (9181-1729 Québec Inc.) (Rouyn-Noranda)	Repayable contribution of $228,800 / total investment of $847,000 Project: Purchasing specialized equipment to improve the company's productivity and production capacity. MBI Manufacture specializes in the manufacture of drilling equipment for the mining sector, including rod adaptors, core drilling and boring machine parts and drill bits.
Community Diversification program
Arma Fab (9253-8172 Québec Inc.) (Rouyn-Noranda)	Repayable contribution of $267,200 / total investment of $1,614,882 Project: Acquiring production equipment for a new manufacturing startup. Arma Fab will transform 60-foot reinforcement beams into custom pieces for large structures and reinforced concrete constructions. Arma Fab's customers will mainly be large mining companies and enterprises operating in the industrial, commercial, and institutional infrastructure building sector.
Mécanicad Inc. (Rouyn-Noranda)	Repayable contribution of $500,000 / total investment of $2,950,000 Project: Improving the company's productivity through, among other things, the acquisition of new equipment and the expansion of its plant. Mécanicad manufactures polymer products, including Mécanivent ventilation pipes.

Summary:

Total number of projects: 5

Total contribution from Canada Economic Development: $4,183,435

Total investment generated by these projects: $12,987,897