Federal government provides $2.4M for francophone organizations
Construction is well underway on the Place des Arts in downtown Sudbury, but like many construction projects during the pandemic, it has had its share of setbacks.
“There was a bit of delays with the COVID," said Leo Therrien, executive director of Place des Arts. "There was a provincial shutdown that occurred last year and then certainly the delivery of equipment and security issues that we have in downtown Sudbury.”
That’s why the federal government is stepping in to provide $1 million for the project.
“It’s important that we continue these investments,” Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre said at a news conference Thursday.
"During the pandemic, we invested a lot here in Canada and certainly in northern Ontario, but as we move forward from the pandemic -- still having our eye on the virus -- we still got to continue to invest.
"Creating these jobs, these opportunities, is key and certainly when we already had projects ongoing that were hit hard by the pandemic, we can’t back off now, Lefebvre added.
Place des Arts was just one of the organizations that received funding from the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) on Thursday.
Other groups sharing $2.4 million include the Conseil de la Coopération, Voilà Community Help, as well as the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario.
The projects receiving funding are expected to support more than 52 businesses, create or maintain up to 149 jobs, and maximize opportunities for development and growth in northern Ontario.
“There’s an envelope that we fought hard to increase," Lefebvre said. "We actually doubled it over the last six years to continue to investing. If we’re really serious about having a bilingual country, we need to invest in the infrastructure for those communities across the country and that’s what were announcing today -- Place des Arts here in Sudbury, French River and Thunder Bay.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.