August 14, 2020 -North Bay, ON - Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario - FedNor
Mining and related industries employ more than 625,000 people across the country and contribute as much as $97 billion a year to Canada's GDP. With one of the largest concentrations of mining and related businesses in Canada, Northern Ontario's mining industry is a key economic driver that creates well-paying jobs and opportunities for businesses and communities throughout the region.
Today, Marc G. Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedNor, announced a repayable FedNor contribution of $1.5 million for Norgalv Limited during a special ceremony held at the new plant's construction site at the North Bay Airport Industrial Business Park.
Specifically, the FedNor investment is being used to establish a 35,000-square-foot galvanizing plant to service Northern Ontario fabricators in the mining supply and services industry. Once fully operational, this priority project is expected to create approximately 45 high-quality local jobs.
The new facility will incorporate high environmental standards, as well as the latest automation and software optimization systems, making it one of the most advanced galvanizing plants in Canada. The facility will utilize the KVK - Green Technology System to ensure acid usage is optimized, less clean water is required and emissions are filtered during the galvanizing process. The system will also be fully programmable to help optimize processing time and improve the quality of the final galvanized coating.
Quotes
"Manufacturing is a cornerstone of our economy with enormous growth potential driven by Canadian ingenuity. With the help of regional development agencies like FedNor, we are making investments that enable innovative companies like Norgalv to start up, scale up and take their businesses to the next level. We are proud to be working with Canadian manufacturers to support good jobs and help Canadians overcome these challenging times so they are well positioned for success as our economy reopens."
- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedNor
"A technologically and environmentally advanced galvanizing plant for North Bay will help strengthen the regional economy, create up to 45 local jobs and allow Northern Ontario fabricators to shop locally. This is good news for an industry that has been hard hit by the COVID pandemic and I'm thrilled that FedNor is playing a key role to help make this state-of-the-art facility a reality."
- Marc G. Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt
"We are thrilled to be laying the foundation for our new facility that promises to bring new opportunities and advanced galvanizing technology to Northern Ontario. Our automated, hot-dip galvanizing process sets a new standard in process automation, quality and efficiency, while protecting the environment."
- Andre Van Soelen, Managing Director of Norgalv Limited
Quick facts
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The funding announced today is provided through FedNor's Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program, which supports businesses at all stages of development, including start-up and technology adoption.
