The Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth made a major funding announcement on Friday. Timmins MPP George Pirie said more than $1.3 million will be divided among four recipients. Three are business owners and the other is the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority, which is getting about $130,000 to rejuvenate the five-kilometre-long Rotary Trail. “It’s a little wetter in spots and it’s hard to maintain, especially after the summer we had last year,” said Dave Vallier, the conservation authority’s executive director. “We’re going to resurface the trail and hopefully raise it in some areas and provide some… drier substrate so it’s easier to walk on.” Quality Contracting plans to use its approximately $261,000 to purchase some commercial vehicles and equipment. Two other Indigenous-owned businesses plan to invest their money in renovations. Gord’s Rentals, owned by Attawapiskat Enterprises, is receiving about $781,000. “One of the purposes of our companies is to help sustain employment of Indigenous peoples, so now we can also increase our mechanics trainings and our services and our shops and all those different things as well,” said Craig Paw, Attawapiskat Enterprises’ chief operating officer. Connor Crawford, co-owner of Crawford Mechanical, told CTV News that it is quite the process to submit an application to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. “Essentially, a couple of years ago we put it in for what we’re receiving here today,” he said. “It’s still beneficial because what it allows us to do is … it matches our investment into our future renovations of our new shop.” Pirie also encouraged more companies to submit applications for funding. “The whole budget for… the Northern Ontario Heritage Funding Corporation is $110 million a year and we’re oversubscribed by about two-thirds,” he said. “We have to have a very rigorous process in place to ensure that all these applications are vetted properly, to ensure that all these communities, in fact, are treated fairly.” Pirie added that the NOHFC makes about seven funding announcements a year.
