Public safety and tourism projects in northwestern Ontario were the focus of recent provincial funding announcements.
The big money went to Fort Frances, which is getting a new $20-million Ontario Provincial Police station on Colonization Road West.
The detachment will provide 20,000 square feet of space with seven holding cells, a vault to secure evidence, all the latest technology and advanced security features used in law enforcement.
Bird Construction is the contractor. The building should be substantially completed by late 2020.
It’s part of the province’s ongoing $182-milllion modernization program to replace nine aging provincial police detachments in Ontario using the P3 (Public-Private Partnership) model, which locks in the final price tag for the nine stations.
Provincial Solicitor General Sylvia Jones joined Energy, Northern Development and Mines Minister Greg Rickford for the June 24 groundbreaking ceremony.
Northeast of Fort Frances, Hyatt’s Manion Lake Camp, a hunting and fishing outfitter, netted $56,187 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC) to build an outpost cabin and install solar panels.
The camp is 110 kilometres from town with six cabins at the main Manion Lake camp and cabins at outposts at Pettit Lake, Mount Lake and Sandbeach Lake.
"By helping businesses like Hyatt's Manion Lake Camp expand and create jobs, we are sending a strong signal that Northern Ontario is open for business and open for jobs,” said Rickford in a news release.
Also in the area, the Town of Rainy River is out to promote tourism by hiring a youth intern with $31,500 from NOHFC to assist with planning, implementing and promoting community programs, cultural events, activities and festivals.
"Through the NOHFC's Internship Program, we are providing young northerners with important employment opportunities where they gain up to 12 months of practical experience and develop their skills in a real work environment before entering the job market," said Minister Rickford.
