KENORA, Ontario, January 12, 2009 — Greg Rickford, MP for Kenora welcomed the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and FedNor to Kenora this past weekend to make some important FedNor announcements and join him in his extensive pre-budget consultation with constituents and stakeholders in the Kenora riding. 

“Moving forward, I want to assure my constituents that this government is committed to supporting strategic economic development initiatives, small business, information and communications technology (ICT), and youth.  At the same time, we are preparing for a budget on January 27th and I’m taking the opportunity of Minister Clement’s visit to the riding to consult directly with constituents, business people and civic leaders for input on the budget” said Rickford.

“Today’s FedNor announcements reinforce our government’s commitment to support the hardworking families and business owners in the Kenora Riding” stated Minister Clement, “This investment will help attract tourists and investors, support small business, expand broadband services, and encourage our youth to stay and work in Northwestern Ontario.”

The Mayors’ for Sioux Lookout (Kathy Poling), Dryden (Anne Krassilowsky), and Kenora (Len Compton) were all on hand for the announcements.  The Mayor for Red Lake sent his regards but was unable to attend.  All three mayors expressed their appreciation for the announcements and took some time to speak privately with Minister Clement and Rickford, to make pre-budget suggestions and discuss other important matters for their communities. 

The Corporation of the Municipality of Sioux Lookout will receive funding of $500,000 to help Sioux Lookout in the development of a visitor enhancement initiative to attract more tourists to the community. The funding will assist with architectural costs for the renovation of the community’s train station and the redevelopment of Centennial Park. An additional $348,410 is earmarked for the development of an industrial and commercial business park at Sioux Lookout’s Municipal Airport. Engineering consultants will be hired to determine the best use of the land, identify appropriate infrastructure needs (i.e., sanitary sewer system) and develop a marketing strategy to maximize investment attraction.