Donald Teuma-Castelletti
CLARENDON Feb. 26, 2018
A Quyon farmer has finally been able to share an excellent success story in the Pontiac, by preparing for the opening of a facility that has been sought after for quite some time.
At a press conference at Willow Hollow Farms in Clarendon, it was announced that an abattoir will be opening in Shawville this fall, providing 10 new jobs in the area and hoping to produce meat for a niche sector of consumers in the Gatineau and Ottawa regions.
“Construction should open in the middle of April, but it all depends on the weather, [so it may be] May,” said Alain Lauzon, a Quyon sheep farmer and the driving force behind the project.

The slaughterhouse will be serving local cattle, sheep and goat farmers, plus hunters from the MRC Pontiac and Outaouais area. Meat-cutting and vacuum packing services will be offered on site.
The abattoir plans to produce meat with halal certification, serving Muslim communities in the urban areas. Halal meat means the animals are butchered in accordance with Islamic law, so the animals will be killed via a cut through the jugular, carotid artery and windpipe. The animals must arrive at the facility both alive and in good health and all blood is drained from the body once killed, plus a dedication to Allah is given during the process.
Due to this certification, that means pork will not be handled at the facility.
“The halal meat is only the way of killing,” explained Lauzon. “It’s all the same meat after it’s dead, the meat is the same, the processing is the same. It’s the way of cutting that we’re doing everything differently.”
The press conference was hosted by Pontiac MNA and Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification André Fortin, who announced that the provincial government will offer financial assistance in the amount of $736,200 for the project. From this, $36,200 will go towards the preparatory work, including updating the plant’s drawings and specifications, choosing equipment and studies from engineers.
“Today really is a great day for Shawville and for the Pontiac as an agricultural community,” said Fortin. “What we’re witnessing today is the success of a man who’s from the Pontiac, who believes in the Pontiac, who wanted to see the Pontiac grow through his efforts and who wanted nothing more than to grow another successful business here in the area and to see it thrive.”
The rest of the financial assistance is a loan from the province, under the ESSOR program, which is designated for the assistance of building the facility. The ESSOR program looks to support job creation and sustainable development in Quebec, across a variety of sectors, with a maximum funding period of 10 years.
The abattoir is billed at a cost of $3,495,000, with 3.4 million for the construction and the remaining for the preparatory work. It was announced to be one of the projects from the MRC’s economic SWAT team designated to improve the local economy.
When it opens, Lauzon expects to start with 64 cattle over two days, plus up to 40 lamb or goats, during the killing days.
Lauzon hopes to meet with local producers over the summer, as he’s been too busy finalizing funding for the project to work out partnerships already, saying that he’d like to hold a roundtable discussion with interested parties when the time comes.
The conference saw many local mayors, the MRC Pontiac warden and Pontiac MP Will Amos attend, congratulating Lauzon on his success and his perseverance with the project.
“I’m happy that it took those five years, in a way,” said Lauzon, of getting to this point. “I met the right people and those right to be with me, and [found] a way to get my team rolling.”
Now that the initial project is well underway, Lauzon is not against eventually expanding the business to serve a larger market. He is however, taking his time to make sure that the current project stays on track and proves successful before committing to growing the project further, explaining that the current facility is 8,000 square feet but can easily accommodate additions in the years to come.