The Canadian government has announced it will be investing $99,998 in Samonix, the land-based salmon farm business slated for the Pontiac Industrial Park in Litchfield.
The money, which will come from the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) fund, was made available through an initiative for Quebec’s eight most economically vulnerable regional county municipalities (MRCs), of which MRC Pontiac is one.
The funding is to be used to help the company in its pre-startup phase, and will only have to be repaid if the Samonix business is successful.
Rémi Bertrand, former director general for MRC Pontiac, is the senior director of business development at Samonix. He said that this funding will be used to pull together the various pieces needed for permit applications.
The project requires a “certificat d’autorisation” which is issued by Quebec’s environment ministry. All industries in the province need one. The certificate helps the ministry to know what level of risk the project poses for the environment. There are four categories: negligible, weak, moderate and elevated.
Samonix will use the new federal funding to cover the costs associated with developing its technical renderings and plans. The money will also help to cover the validation of the operational procedures at the future fish farm. This work is done by mechanical, civil and process engineers, whose costs will also be covered by the loan.
“The funding from the government allows us to complete this phase,” Bertrand said. “We should be submitting sometime in September.”
Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel announced the funding in a press release on Aug. 19.
“This project has the potential to boost the economy of the MRC of Pontiac,” Chatel told THE EQUITY.
“This project was identified as potentially beneficial for the economy of the region, so it received a contribution of $100,000.”
Chatel said this funding is what Samonix needs to complete their proposal.
“It’s to take this project off the ground,” Chatel said. “You need to be precise about the architectural plan, the technology, the building, the processes. They’ll need a lot of details in the plan, and it’s a big plan, so they will continue to develop their plans.”
The Samonix farm is still awaiting approval from the province and Chatel said that it will also undergo various assessments by the federal government before it can be fully operational. The zero-interest loan should help Samonix to meet all those goals before opening.
“It’s [ . . . ] important for our regional economy. This is a big business that could have a lot of positive ripple effects in the MRC Pontiac,” Chatel said, noting the business is also important outside the Pontiac region.
“It’s important for Canada’s food security and food autonomy,” Chatel said. “Climate change and overfishing is impacting fisheries as well. It’s really important for Canada to have our own agriculture and be a leader in tomorrow’s agriculture and aquaculture.”
