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
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.