Minister Vandal announces funding for businesses in rural Manitoba
by CM Staff
A number of manufacturers in Manitoba received funding from the federal government to scale-up and remain competitive.
Minister Vandal announces federal support for businesses and communities across rural Manitoba (CNW Group/Prairies Economic Development Canada)
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — On Oct. 11, while visiting the Fort la Reine Museum in Portage la Prairie, Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, announced $11,796,593 in federal investments for 24 projects in communities across rural Manitoba. This announcement included projects funded through the Jobs and Growth Fund, the Business Scale-Up and Productivity program, the Canada Community Revitalization Fund, and the Tourism Relief Fund, all administered by PrairiesCan in Manitoba.
Projects announced today include:
- Elmer’s Welding and Manufacturing Ltd. received $3,339,000 to expand manufacturing capacity and operating efficiency by investing in advanced manufacturing technology, process optimization, personnel and training in Altona.
- Spenst Brothers Premium Meats received $2,850,000 to expand meat processing and frozen pizza production capacity in Winkler.
- Agi3 LTD. received $2,766,000 to commercialize an AI-driven crop insurance platform in Oak Bluff.
“Rural communities across our country are instrumental in the overall health of Canada’s economy. The projects announced today represent a wide range of initiatives and demonstrate the unique needs and opportunities for rural communities and businesses. While visiting small towns across the Prairies, I’m always impressed by the revitalization, growth, and economic development that’s happening, being led by the people who live and work here. And that is especially true for communities here in Manitoba,” said Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan.
“The funding we have received from PrairiesCan has been instrumental in moving us from our research and development phase, into scaling us for operations. Our advanced, artificial intelligence-based crop insurance platform will bring much needed modernization for Farmers, but we needed support to move forward. We have been able to recruit highly qualified talent into key positions, something that would have been incredibly difficult without the support we have received from PrairiesCan,” said Ray Bouchard, President & CEO, Agi3 Ltd.
