One-industry towns in Northern Ontario are eligible for a financial helping hand to diversify their economies. A new provincial fund, the Economic Diversification Assistance Program, will invest in projects that bring about new economic activity. The program will be administered by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. Communities eligible include those with 30 per cent or more of their workforce employed in one economic sector, and has lost at least 10 per cent of its workforce in a given industry or has experienced hardship due to a major economic disruption over the last five years. Projects will be funded up to $5 million maximum for any one project.
