KENORA, Ont. - A federal investment of more than $1 million will support two Kenora companies and create nine full-time jobs in the region.
Terry Sheehan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedNor, announced on Thursday an investment of $1.1 million to help diversify the local economy in Kenora.
Atlantic Industries Limited is receiving $903,510 to help it expand operations and establish a new corrugated metal pipe manufacturing facility in Kenora, creating four new jobs.
“Our new Kenora location will help drive future growth, create local jobs and allow us to better serve the infrastructure needs of Northern Ontario,” said Jason Sherwood, VP Operations, International & Western Canada, Atlantic Industries Limited.
“We are thrilled that FedNor stepped up to help us expand and purchase new equipment, which is allowing us to improve production and market access, while meeting the growing demand for our products and services.”
With the funding, the company was able to retrofit a 21,000-square-foot industrial building, purchase specialized equipment and complete site upgrades to accommodate pipe fabrication requirements.
“Today’s announcement is further proof of our government’s commitment to supporting businesses through these challenging times,” Joly said in a statement.
“We are helping entrepreneurs with start ups and enabling companies to scale up, creating jobs and contributing to our economic recovery. Our message to Canadians is clear: we’ve been here for you with immediate measures, we’re here for you now and we’ll get through this, together.”
FSET Inc. received $200,000 to expand its Kenora operations by acquiring additional datacentre capacity, allowing the company to meet existing demand and capitalize on future growth opportunities within the law enforcement industry.
This expansion created five full-time jobs in the area.
“We welcome and appreciate this FedNor funding as it’s allowing us to serve an additional 450 users so we can capitalize on immediate and future growth opportunities,” said Nicole Brown, COO of FSET Inc. “We’re currently running near full capacity and this repayable investment will allow us to expand, create jobs and take our business to the next level.”
