Nine agri-food projects in Northern Ontario will share in $4.1 million in provincial funds, which will be used to create jobs, boost food production and diversify the region’s agri-food sector.
The funding, announced by Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford, comes from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp.
“Through targeted investments like the ones we are celebrating today, our government continues to strengthen the Northern agri-food industry that keeps our communities thriving,” Rickford said in a Nov. 5 news release.
“The NOHFC was modernized by our government so more businesses and organizations can apply for the supports they need to diversify their offerings, expand their facilities, or take on projects like tile drainage to enhance their crop production in the North.”
Projects receiving funds include:
- $1.4 million for Lactalis Canada Inc. to convert their Sudbury milk facility into a premium non-dairy, plant-based facility;
- $945,506 for the Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance to administer a tile drainage project in the Timiskaming-Cochrane District, spanning 1,888 acres and supporting 19 producers;
- $535,800 for the Northeast Community Network to administer a tile drainage project in the Timiskaming-Cochrane District, spanning 893 acres and supporting nine producers;
- $461,000 for Tulloch Agriculture Inc. to build two storage buildings and purchase equipment to expand operations to include cash cropping in Algoma-Manitoulin;
- $400,000 for Sharpe Farm Supplies Ltd. and WM Sharpe Farms Ltd. to invest in a new 14,000-square-foot warehouse that will have an agri-centre and new grain dryers and grain bins to support crop storage services in Algoma-Manitoulin;
- $174,684 for Lock City Dairies Inc. to expand their facility in Sault Ste. Marie to increase productivity, efficiency and storage capacity, and generate more sales and clients;
- $81,000 for Peace Hill Farm in Sundridge to install a greenhouse and purchase equipment to establish commercial organic farming operations;
- $67,967 for Pleasant Valley — an agricultural tourism startup on Manitoulin Island — to build a safe and positive environment to provide education and connect people with animals and agriculture; and
- $56,520 for Old Rock Inc. — a specialty coffee roastery based in Sudbury — to purchase and install a new coffee roaster to respond to consumer demand and invest in building retrofits to accommodate the roaster and marketing costs.
The NOHFC funding was announced on day three of the 2023 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, taking place at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
