Clement outlines his action plan

Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for FedNor
News Article

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As Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for FedNor, I always enjoy my travels throughout Northern Ontario. In late August, I had the opportunity to see firsthand how our government’s Economic Action Plan and FedNor are helping communities.

While in North Bay, I was pleased to announce projects from one of the Action Plan’s many new initiatives - the Community Adjustment Fund. This stimulus program was designed to assist in setting Northern communities on the road to economic recovery. The Community Adjustment stimulus package will deliver up to $31.4M over the next two years to Northern Ontario communities.

The Community Adjustment Fund is supporting a variety of short-term ‘shovelready’ projects. The City of North Bay received the investment to develop a section of waterfront property to attract a hotel and conference centre. In Sudbury this money will be used to build a new 128-bed Long-Term Care Home. The Town of Bruce Mines will landscape along their waterfront and expand its picnic grounds to enhance tourism. Wawa will convert an older building into a training centre for displaced workers. The Town of Parry Sound will expand municipal services to facilitate construction of a new campus of Canadore College. Sturgeon Falls, Chapleau, Elk Lake, Hearst and Cochrane will undertake various industrial park and municipal infrastructure upgrades and downtown revitalization projects.

During my travels I was also proud to announce $13.4 million in FedNor funding to support 82 community-based and community-led economic development projects.

One of those community-led projects is the Huron Central Railway, which operates a freight rail service from Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury, an important economic link for many Northern Ontario businesses. I was pleased to bring the Government of Canada into this project and commit $1.5 million towards infrastructure improvements to keep this short line rail service on track and operational until a longer term sustainable solution can be found.

Our Government is assisting Northern communities develop and prosper during these difficult times.

As the fall session of Parliament gets under way, I have returned to Ottawa with the knowledge and confidence that FedNor and our government’s Economic Action Plan are having a positive effect on the lives of Northern Ontario residents by strengthening communities and making investments that promote both short and long-term growth.

Tony Clement

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