Federal Government Invests in Macleod Project to Create Jobs in Rural Alberta

September 17, 2009

Crowsnest Pass, AB – Ted Menzies, Member of Parliament for Macleod and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, is pleased to announce funding for the planning of a Discovery Centre in the Crowsnest Pass, through the Community Adjustment Fund.

“Our Government is once again investing in Macleod communities to stimulate economic activity and reduce the impacts of the global recession,” said Menzies. “The Discovery Centre project will create a new source for long-term economic growth and help ensure the community of the Crowsnest Pass remains healthy and vibrant.”

The Crowsnest Pass Economic Development Board is developing an implementation plan to provide recommendations on establishing a Discovery Centre for the Crowsnest Pass area. The implementation plan is considered an essential step towards the development of the larger initiative, which will generate new employment opportunities and increased economic activity for the region.

“The implementation plan will identify how the Crowsnest Discovery Centre could have a significant economic impact on the community and outline how the facility will reduce the footprint on the land by incorporating adaptive re-use of an existing structure,” said Shar Lazzarotto, Manager of Community Futures Crowsnest Pass. “We expect the facility to provide employment opportunities and economic generation to the community, and fit in well with the developer’s plan for the property and the community’s heritage theme.”
A part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) is a two-year, $1 billion national program that will provide economic stimulus by supporting projects that create jobs and maintain employment in rural communities. The fund will provide $306 million over two years to support the most affected western Canadian communities, such as those that are heavily reliant on resource-based industries, for instance forestry, mining, agriculture and fisheries, and communities that depend on the manufacturing industry. Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) is delivering the fund in the four western provinces. Visit the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) http://www.wed.gc.ca  or Canada’s Economic Action Plan http://www.plandaction.gc.ca for more information.