By Carol Thomson
May 1, 2021 | 11:19 AM
The funding for Western Economic Diversification remains the same even though British Columbia is no longer in the same group along with Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
That was the message from the federal government’s Special Representative for the Prairies, Minister Jim Carr to members of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. He says it will be a federal agency devoted to diversification of the Prairie economy. Carr believes the impact will be significant because there will be considerably more investment for the Prairies.
Its mission and mandate is being discussed now through focus groups to hone in on what the priorities of the new agency should be.
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Nearly $60 million in funding for Saskatoon’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is an investment federal minister Melanie Joly thinks will age well.
“There is some investments that have a lot of impact, more than others sometimes,” Joly, the federal Minister of Economic Development and minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification, said Friday in an interview.
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“This is one; when looking back in 10 years, we’ll see that was a really good decision.”
The Prince George Airport is garnering international attention from North American cargo carriers, according to general manager Stieg Hoeg.
Hoeg spoke about the runway expansion underway in Prince George at the Airports Council International Air Cargo Conference in Los Angeles, March 26-27.
“We had four third-party developers who are interested in the whole opportunity,” he said.
The airport authority is seeking $20,000 from the Northern Development Initiative Trust and $20,000 from Western Economic Diversification to develop a multi-media presentation promoting economic opportunities in addition to air cargo.
The kit is the first phase of a three-year plan to market the airport and surrounding opportunities ?including the development of a light industrial and logistics part adjecent to the airport.
From: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada; and the Honourable Jim Carr, Special Representative for the Prairies, met with representatives of the University of Saskatchewan to discuss an investment in vaccine research and development at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) from Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience.
Budget 2021 is the Government of Canada’s plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a robust economic recovery that is inclusive of all Canadians.
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Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark says there’s a lot to like about Monday’s federal budget.
Canada’s first budget in two years includes $60 million over the next three years for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) in Saskatoon to expand its laboratories, creation of a distinct economic diversification agency for the Prairie region, and doubling the size of a federal fund for municipalities to invest in infrastructure.
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That one-time top-up of $2.2 billion for First Nations and municipal infrastructure will “help us to ensure that we don’t have to cut services or raise taxes or reduce our infrastructure investment in dealing with the impacts of the pandemic on our budget,” Clark said.