Province announces $500,000 for an area abattoir

News Release
Ont. Gov.

The Rainy River District is developing a new 3,900-square-foot abattoir with the help of the Ontario Government.
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is investing $500,000 in the not-for-profit, community-owned abattoir. The provincially inspected facility will reduce transportation costs by helping to eliminate the need for local livestock to be shipped out of the district for slaughtering.
“Dr. Rosehart identified the importance of an abattoir as a catalyst for growth in this region,” said Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle, who is also Chair of the NOHFC. “By investing in this type of agricultural infrastructure we are improving the economic prospects for agriculture in the Rainy River District and Northwestern Ontario.”
“We are extremely pleased to support a project that will indeed help satisfy a growing demand for locally grown foods, while helping local livestock producers add economic value to their products,” said Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs.
QUICK FACTS
*Currently livestock producers from the Rainy River District ship live animals to abattoirs in either Dryden or Thunder Bay which can be more than 800-kilometres round trip.
*The need for an abattoir facility in the Rainy River District was identified in the Northwestern Ontario Economic Facilitator’s Report by Dr. Robert Rosehart.
*To date, the NOHFC’s Infrastructure and Community Development Program has invested $117.2 million in 239 projects in the North.