Municipality of Peribonka Receives $1,034,222 in Funding From Government of Canada to Improve Tourist Lodging

PÉRIBONKA, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Jan. 19, 2011) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today announced that the Municipality of Péribonka has been granted $1,034,222 in non-repayable funding through the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE) for the expansion and modernization of its municipal campground.

"This project will help the Municipality of Péribonka increase its tourist accommodation offering, which will in turn generate additional spinoffs for the local economy. The Government of Canada sees it as essential to support the municipality in its economic diversification efforts," explained the Minister of State.

The initiative is part of a broader socioeconomic development strategy the municipality has adopted to position itself more advantageously on the local tourism market. Located in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Maria-Chapdeleine, Péribonka intends to increase the number of sites on its municipal campground by 34, bringing the total number of available sites to 98. The municipality also plans to install five camp-ready tents, a pool and a new building to house restroom and laundry facilities. This investment will enable the Péribonka campground, which currently has a three-star rating, to rank as a four-star facility. The project will also result in the creation of eight new jobs in the area.

About the TISQFE

Brought into force last June, the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies was established to help communities affected by the forestry crisis diversify their economies in order to secure their development and create and maintain employment. The measure's aim is also to support the viability and sustainable growth of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these communities.

"The Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies is working very well. I am delighted that we are well on our way to reaching our goal of investing $50 million in Quebec in the first year of this initiative," the Minister of State added.

This measure is one of many put in place by the Government of Canada in recent 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 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.

Canada Economic Development is online at www.dec-ced.gc.ca. Subscribe to the Agency's press releases at
http://www.dec-ced.gc.ca/eng/media-room/mailing-list/list.html to keep up with the latest news.